‘UEC syllabus must reflect national system of education’

THE Government will consider recognising the Unified Examinations Certificate (UEC) qualification if its curriculum is reviewed to reflect that of the national education system.

Deputy Higher Education Minis­ter Datuk Mary Yap said the UEC was not recognised now at the federal level as it did not fulfil the requirement stated under the Education Act 1996.

“The Bahasa Malaysia in the UEC is not on par with the SPM level. The entry requirement for public universities is a credit in BM at the SPM level,” she said in reply to Julian Tan Kok Ping (DAP-Stampin).

Tan had asked whether the Higher Education Ministry would recognise the qualifications of UEC graduates, as decided recently by the Sarawak government.

Asked if UEC graduates would be able to apply for government positions, Yap said: “The ministry’s decision is firm and consistent. Let’s not drag the issue.”

The UEC is a standardised examination taken by students of all 60 Chinese independent secondary schools in Malaysia. Among others, it is recognised by various international universities.

The ministry also said it would continue to collaborate with industries to increase the employability of local graduates.

Yap said the programme conducted by the ministry showed positive impact with 97.3% graduates made “employable”.

“Public universities are directly involved with various industries with work-based learning. This will allow students to learn theory in university and gain hands-on experience in the workforce,” she told Datuk Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali (PAS-Kuala Nerus).

Meanwhile, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said the Government had allocated RM2.2bil in annual subsidies and incentives to boost rice production.

This included providing 140kg of rice seeds for every hectare and 12 bags of urea, he told Datuk Nawawi Ahmad (BN-Langkawi).

The MP had asked the Govern­ment to reveal details on aid for padi farmers, whom he said were struggling with the high cost of living.