Test Uec Grads In History Bm For Uni Admission Khoo Suggests

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Eddin Khoo, who chaired the task force that studied the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), said he recommended a way forward in his report.
Instead of “recognising” the examination, he said those who passed the UEC could be given certain allowances so that they may gain entry into local public universities and the civil service.
“I can’t speak for everybody on the committee, but I can speak for myself. My recommendation was (for public universities) to have an entrance examination that includes facility in Bahasa Malaysia, history, all those kinds of things,” he told Malaysiakini.
This was among the recommendations in the report, which has been completed but has yet to be presented to the Education Ministry.
Khoo said the committee required extensions to conduct a thorough review of the issue, but by the time its work was completed, the Pakatan Harapan government had fallen following the Sheraton Move, and the Covid-19 pandemic had struck.
Since then, no education minister has called upon him for the report, he said.
He explained that the report also falls under the Official Secrets Act 1972, which means that its contents cannot be made public.
Recurring issue
On Thursday (Dec 11), Maszlee Malik called for the committee to present its report to the public.
The former education minister, who led the Education Ministry during the UEC task force’s formation in 2018, urged an open discussion on the topic so that the public can evaluate the issue.
Former education minister Maszlee Malik“The UEC is just a symptom that will recur every time the government changes.
“It arises because of the public and certain groups’ perception of the weaknesses and low quality of national education,” he said in a statement.
Discourse on the UEC reignited after DAP suffered a crushing defeat in the recent Sabah election, where the party failed to win any of the eight seats it contested.
The results of the election signalled declining support from DAP's core voters: the Chinese community.
In an effort to restore DAP’s standing with Chinese voters, party deputy chairperson Nga Kor Ming announced that DAP would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on UEC recognition, which immediately drew backlash from Umno.
On social media, Malay circles reacted strongly, ranging from racially charged remarks to claims that recognising the UEC would make Anwar subservient to DAP - a perception both the prime minister and the party have been careful to avoid since the formation of the Madani government.
Call for meritocracy
When approached on the matter, DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong pointed to the risk of Malaysia losing valuable and capable youths if education reforms continue to be delayed.
He told Malaysiakini that UEC graduates are merely seeking an inclusive pathway into public universities that takes into account their academic performance, not preferential treatment.
DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong“It is therefore crucial to ensure inclusive, fair, and forward-looking pathways that allow academically competent students to contribute to the nation’s future,” he asserted.
The United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong) is prepared to engage with the government on the issue, Woo said.
“Politicians should refrain from exploiting the issue to inflame ethnic sentiments for narrow political interests, as recognising the UEC does not undermine the rights, identity, or position of any community,” he added.
Yesterday, Anwar emphasised that any language demands from a single ethnic group must first respect the constitutional status of Malay as the national language.
He further stated that, after honouring and mastering the Malay language, “we can then discuss other matters”.
However, former economy minister Rafizi Ramli urged Malaysians to accept China’s growing influence as well as the importance of the Mandarin language. - Mkini

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