Govt recognition of UEC inches closer – Wee
KUCHING: Chairman of Committee of Management for Kuching Chung Hua Middle Schools No 1, 3 and 4 Datuk Richard Wee believes they are inching towards the government’s recognition of Unified Examination Certificate ( UEC).
“I think Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s remark on UEC is a sign that the federal government is responding to the appeals from various sectors. Studies have been done and formulas are also there to compare the standard of the syllabus. Hence, I believe we are inching towards the government’s recognition,” he said when prompted for comments on Zahid’s announcement on Feb 3 that a thorough study and evaluation of UEC would be carried out before tabling a proposal to seek approval for UEC recognition in the Cabinet.
I think Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s remark on UEC is a sign that the federal government is responding to the appeals from various sectors. Studies have been done and formulas are also there to compare the standard of the syllabus. Hence, I believe we are inching towards the government’s recognition.
Saying that UEC was recognised by a vast number of universities and countries, Wee said the Chinese community wanted UEC to be recognised so that students of Chinese independent schools would have the chance of being accepted into local government universities and the civil service.
“This will create more career opportunities for our students, and more importantly, our students are not being discriminated in the system of our government and not having a double standard treatment towards our students.”
He believed ‘ the long road to recognition is purely a political issue and has nothing to do with the standard of UEC’.
“This is apparent with the recognition by more than 300 universities all over the world. I hope the federal government realises that and follow the bold steps taken by our Sarawak government.”
A political observer Dr Chou Chii Ming opined that the federal government, under the leadership of different prime ministers in the past, was not serious enough in considering to recognise UEC.
“Now under Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the federal government is active in this issue by proposing to carry out an in- depth study for the recognition of UEC.
“I hope this time it is not a touch-n- go process but to set out a definite recognition schedule and reasonable conditions.”
Chou, former chairman of Committee of Management for Kuching Chung Hua Primary Schools No1 to 6, said the Chinese community in Malaysia had spent a hefty sum of money in the last 50 years to build up the present Chinese independent schools.
He said the Chinese school system in Malaysia had been considered the best of its kind outside China.
“These schools have been able to produce so many graduates with qualifications recognised for entry to tertiary education by over 300 universities in the world.
“So the Chinese community in Malaysia has a strong conviction that Chinese independent schools are helping the nation to train future generations.”
Chou said the standard of UEC was on par with Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) in as far as entry to public universities in Malaysia was concerned.
“It is ironic that UEC is not recognised in its own country but is recognised worldwide. Such irony does not affect the UEC present status of world recognition at all. It has been taking too long for the federal government to decide on this recognition issue. The general public think it is a political matter more than an academic issue. The ruling party of BN Umno has the final say.”
Datuk Richard Wee, chairman of Committee of Management for Kuching Chung Hua Middle Schools No. 1, 3 and 4