IPGs urged to take in more UEC holders to be trained as teachers
SARIKEI: Twenty-eight holders of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) have been offered places to pursue teaching degree course in Teachers’ Education Institute (IPG) as of last year.
They were the few who managed to get through out of a total of 161 candidates who applied to take up the course last year, Sarikei MP Andrew Wong Ling Biu said.
Wong said, according to a reply given by the Minister of Education Dato Seri Mahdzir Khalid to his oral question in Parliament recently, apart from obtaining compulsory credit passes in at least three subjects at Senior Middle level, UEC holders must pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination with credit in Bahasa Malaysia, English and History.
Besides, they must be Malaysian citizen aged not more than 20 years as at June 20 (year of intake); healthy and active in cocurricular activities.
Wong expressed hope that the education ministry would look into ways to accommodate more UEC holders to take up teacher training course in IPGs to overcome shortage of teachers faced by the Chinese-medium schools in the country.
“If the government recognises UEC, I believe the crucial part of the teacher’s shortage problem faced by Chinese –medium schools is solved. IPG can recruit more UEC holders to be trained as teachers and be posted to Chinese-medium schools,” Wong said.