Scholarship extended to UEC students; good news or national disunity?
By CS Ming
7 hours ago
THE Sabah government is working to enhance its scholarship programme for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to reach more eligible students, says state education, science, technology and innovation minister James Ratib.
Sounds like it is the end of the world for Malaysian education and those looking to bring our education system under one roof for the sake of national harmony.
Or maybe not. To recap, the UEC is a pre-U level exam offered by independent Chinese secondary schools in Malaysia. UEC certificates are accepted for university entry in many countries, from the UK and Singapore to the US and New Zealand.
Sarawak formally recognises the qualification, but in Peninsular Malaysia it remains a political football, often dangled to win over Chinese voters.
At the federal level, the stance has ranged from lukewarm to contradictory, while nationalist opposition to recognising the UEC continues to drive a deep divide between Malay and Chinese communities.
Arguments regarding the UEC are best summed up by Meanwhile In Malaysia on a recent post in Facebook. To be honest, we think this is a never ending debate.
UEC SIMPLIFIED:
Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) ah, simply put, is the cert you get from Chinese independent schools in Malaysia. These schools mostly teach in Mandarin one.
The whole drama, wah piang, is about recognition. Private unis in Malaysia all accept, overseas also no problem, more than 1,000 institutions ok with it. But public unis here, IPTA, federal level say cannot. Quite jialat, sia. Only Sabah and Sarawak say can use for state unis and some government job...
See moreNetizens in the comment section offered many illuminating opinions and here are some of them. According to Syn Akmal, it is true that the UEC is recognised internationally, but this is still limited.
Another netizen suggested that people who want to use the government money should just follow the local way.
“In my humble opinion, UEC is just like you sending your kids for private school or international school that uses overseas syllabus. So why need to be recognised? After all isn’t parents sending their kids to such school are mostly preparing their kids for overseas?” added Johnathan Teo.
But UEC has ample supporters too, such as Summer Dangerfield.
“Genuine question: Why not take UEC and SPM at the same time? UEC for international recognition while SPM for local. If UEC level is higher, I think most would excel in SPM,” said Ardly Raikhan Jamehari.
Returning to the topic at hand, secondary school principal Chung Chin Hing said that under Sabah Dong Zong regulations, students take the SPM before the UEC, earning dual qualifications that enhance their competitiveness in higher education and the workforce.
According to him, students at Chinese independent schools consistently excelled in the SPM examination, with annual pass rates exceeding 90%.
“These results reflect the strength of the Chinese independent school system, both academically and in fostering well-rounded students,” he added.
The state government would strengthen collaboration with Dong Zong, the umbrella group of Chinese-medium schools, to provide enhanced policy support and more comprehensive educational resources, James Ratib told reporters, according to The Borneo Post.
Ratib spoke after receiving a courtesy call by a delegation from Sabah Dong Zong, in which discussions were held on measures to improve higher education access for students from Sabah’s Chinese independent schools. —Feb 2, 2025
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