‘Strengthen local Chinese system instead’
JOHOR BARU: The Pakatan Harapan government must be firm and find the best approach to ensure that the country’s education system is recognised and trusted by all, said former higher education minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin yesterday.
Khaled said finding an outside alternative, such as recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), was not the best solution because the syllabus used was not in line with local aspirations and the national education policy.
As such, he said, it was better that the government made an effort to strengthen the local Chinese education system instead of taking on an outside system that was not tailored for Malaysia.
“Regarding UEC, it is a certificate meant for the Chinese private secondary schools conducted by Dong Zong and Jiao Zong. It does not use our country’s school syllabus and this means that it is not part of the education system.
“Any attempt to recognise this examination system will only raise controversy and be met with opposition from people.”
Khaled, who is Umno vice-president, said efforts by the government to recognise UEC was unreasonable because its syllabus and contents were copied from another country.
“(Accepting) UEC will lead to a divided system and further complicate efforts to standardise and harmonise the education system.
“It will also send a message that the national education system is bad and a failure,” he said, adding that recognising UEC would also hinder the government’s continuous efforts to ensure harmony and foster unity among Malaysians.