Stop weaponising UEC issue

 

 “Let's move forward for the sake of the country's future.”

Anwar: UEC controversy should end as Malay language, history now compulsory

EmEmKay: The announcement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) will now require compulsory passes in Bahasa Malaysia and history should mark a turning point and ideally the end of the long‑running UEC controversy.

For years, critics have questioned whether UEC graduates truly master the national language and possess sufficient understanding of Malaysian history and identity.

By making both Bahasa Malaysia and history compulsory and non-negotiable components of the UEC, these concerns are being addressed directly and structurally, rather than merely symbolically.

This move aligns the UEC more closely with the national education framework and reinforces the principle that, regardless of school stream, all students share a common responsibility toward the national language and our collective historical narrative.

Vernacular and independent school students, especially those taking the UEC, should not see this change as a punishment or burden, but as a meaningful challenge and opportunity.

It is a chance to prove through performance and results that they can not only cope with but also excel in Bahasa Malaysia and history.

For too long, there has been a stereotype that students from vernacular or independent schools are weak in BM or detached from national history.

Now they have the platform to overturn that perception decisively by demonstrating strong command of the national language and a mature, informed understanding of Malaysia’s historical journey.

If UEC candidates can achieve high standards in BM and history while continuing to excel in their mother tongue and other subjects, they will represent the best of what Malaysia can be: multilingual, culturally rooted, and firmly anchored in a shared national identity.

With this policy shift, continually weaponising the UEC issue no longer serves any constructive purpose.

The debate should move away from questioning whether UEC students are committed to the nation, and instead focus on how all stakeholders, be it government, educators, parents, and school administrations, can support students to thrive under this new requirement.

Headhunter: This is the most sensible and long‑overdue statement from the prime minister regarding the UEC controversy. The real question is why it took so long, and what past and present education ministers have been doing all this time? Were they just warming their seats?

I’ve said before that if everyone took the same exam to qualify, this issue would have been resolved long ago.

Clearly, the UEC has been used as a political tool to disadvantage those who qualify for it, mainly the Chinese community.

Preventing a segment of Malaysians who could contribute meaningfully to the nation is both foolish and discriminatory, and it certainly does not bode well for nation‑building.

FitnessPro: At least Anwar is taking steps to unite the people and remove issues that divide us. Individuals like Umno Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh and his ultra‑nationalist supporters seem intent on creating division, and they will go all out to do so.

Now that Anwar is finding a middle ground, let’s move forward for the sake of the country’s future.

This is what a leader should do: consider both sides and then work toward a solution. If all it takes is shouting and more shouting, I shudder to imagine what Malaysia may become.

While the details are still unclear, this is a step toward closing ranks. I prefer to celebrate the positive while offering constructive feedback.

Coward: For the sake of discussion, let us assume this means the UEC is now recognised. I can see two other potentially contentious points: Bahasa Malaysia and history. Both relate to the necessity of passing these subjects under SPM.

Starting with history, since it is the easier topic, if the UEC fully incorporates and implements the national history curriculum, there would be an incentive to do so. In the future, one could argue why its students still need to sit for SPM.

With BM, I can foresee a scenario where the BM curriculum under the UEC surpasses that of SPM. Then we return to the same argument, why can’t UEC Malay replace SPM BM?

The crux of the issue is this: the national curriculum is evolving in a less favourable direction, while the UEC continues to evolve to meet international standards. Sooner or later, they will clash again.

Asam Pedas: In principle, parents should decide what their children learn. At the secondary level, students should or may decide this by gauging the marketplace.

Workplaces should decide their employees’ and candidates’ mastery, for example, which language/subjects would benefit their company.

Governments should be the beginning of the chain to facilitate this. Their goal is to get subject matter experts to impart this knowledge.

Why is the government loading the school plate of children with more than 50 percent of stuff they will never use? Why is failure in politics driving policies experimenting on children’s education?

Undecided: Anwar said the circumstances surrounding the UEC debate have fundamentally changed, with the vast majority of students from Chinese independent schools already sitting for the SPM Bahasa Malaysia paper alongside their UEC qualifications.

“This also applies to the minor controversy regarding UEC, even though circumstances have already changed. The vast majority take SPM, and the vast majority also take SPM Bahasa.”

Quite easily done. No celebration, please. - Mkini