‘Made-in-Taiwan’ UEC not for Malaysia, Khaled tells PH

The former higher education minister adds to the debate on Pakatan Harapan's promise to recognise the Chinese school certificate.

PETALING JAYA: Former higher education minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is based on an imported syllabus that is not tailored for Malaysia, and as such should not be recognised for entry into public universities.

“I hope the Pakatan Harapan government will be firm on this matter and find the best way to ensure our education system is recognised and instils confidence in all parties,” the former Johor menteri besar said, amid a debate on the Chinese-stream schools’ examination certificate.

Khaled cited several reasons why the recognition of the certificate, which PH had promised in its manifesto, would be against the national education policy.

“It uses a syllabus and content from Taiwan without any monitoring or adherence to standards set by the Education Ministry. In fact, education experts and Putrajaya aren’t directly involved or referred to in the preparing of the UEC syllabus,” he said.

He said the UEC, developed by Chinese education groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, did not follow the Malaysian education syllabus, and as such it was not surprising that it sparked controversy when the government hinted it would be recognised.

Saying the UEC’s objectives are not based on the National Education Philosophy, Khaled said any move to recognise it would result in different systems that would complicate efforts to standardise and harmonise the education system.

“The recognition of the UEC will also send a message that the national education system is bad and a failure, and it will also be a stumbling block to the government’s efforts to ensure better harmony and unity among Malaysians,” he said, adding that as UEC uses Mandarin as its medium, the status of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language would be undermined.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik has said that the government still needed to study the UEC before allowing it to be recognised. - FMT