In harmony: Anwar with religious leaders at the recent Christian Federation of Malaysia’s Christmas high tea, where he spoke at length on the need for national unity. — Bernama
THERE has been much controversy – and even misinformation – over the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issue.
It has come to a point that even what Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in his recent speeches have been eclipsed. Some of his messages have been lost in translation or skewed by certain media to fit their narrative.
The Malay media has been understandably strongly against any move to recognise the UEC. The Chinese media has been the same but in the opposite direction, advocating recognition.
Social influencers are also getting in on the act but many do not have accurate information about and basic understanding of the matter.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has found himself being pulled by both sides. There are Malays who accuse him of selling out to the DAP, while sections of the Chinese community are unhappy that Pakatan Harapan has not fulfilled its promise to recognise the UEC.
At the recent Christian Federation of Malaysia’s Christmas high tea, the PM spoke at length on the need for national unity and the emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia, without forgetting the importance of English and other languages, including Mandarin.
He acknowledged the importance of Mandarin, saying this will help open Malaysia up to economic powers such as China.
It was a similar message to the one he had given the media on Dec 12 in Langkawi. But for some reason, the angle in the media then was that he had rejected UEC recognition when the truth is, what he said was turned out differently.
His stand has been consistent: the official position of Bahasa Malaysia must remain, and its importance must be recognised.
There is no excuse for any Malaysian not to be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia. No one should dispute that. It is shameful if any of us are not fluent in Malay, or worse, cannot speak it, when migrant workers are able to.
Here is what Anwar actually said:
“Lately, there have been various voices raising different demands regarding language issues. Some want to emphasise the English language, while others seek recognition of the UEC.
“I want to explain it this way: This is Malaysia. Malay is the national and official language, and anyone, in their efforts to promote any language, must remember that the official language — Bahasa Melayu — must be upheld as a language of knowledge mastered by all Malaysians.”
Anwar went on: “For example, is there a need for better mastery of the English language? The answer is yes. Is there a need to teach English in certain new fields in schools and universities? The answer is yes.
“Even the need to increase the use of the Chinese language in certain courses at universities poses no problem, including the issue of the UEC.
“Next, Arabic. We have faculties of Islam and faculties of Islamic Studies in many universities. Therefore we want courses in Arabic to also be given opportunities. Likewise, if there are several specialised lectures in the Tamil language, they may be used.
“However, when the narrative or discourse leans towards a single language and a single race while neglecting discussion of the country’s main language, that is where the problem arises.
“So I want to remind everyone: Any race or party may put forward proposals – there is no problem with that.
“But they must remember that as citizens who adhere to constitutional principles, understanding must begin by affirming the priority of the mastery of Bahasa Melayu.
“After that, I agree to elevating the status of the mastery of other languages — not only English, Chinese, Arabic, and Tamil, but any other languages as well.’’
Datuk Joy Appukuttan, a past president of the Malaysian Catholic Lawyers Association who attended the high tea, posted on Facebook that Anwar’s speech was better than as reported in the media.
“His focus was on national unity, keeping to the national agenda of using BM, without forgetting the importance of English and Mandarin,’’ he said, adding that “there seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding PMX,” referring to Anwar’s nickname as the country’s 10th prime minister.
“But he admits that being at the helm leading a multiracial country is more complex and more challenging. It is timely that he is allowed space to let his words turn to action.
“For this, he needs support. I say this because he spoke out loudly and clearly on moral deficits, corruption and endemic corruption.
“He ostracised intolerance towards the marginalised, the oppressed and the poor. He spoke against perpetrators of injustice and cruelty. In all these, there is much to be done.
“His timely reminder was that despite being complex, multi-racial and multi-religious, our country is certainly one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
“We must cherish it as we continue to move forwards as a united nation.”
Malaysia will continue to face challenges, including emotive and confrontational racial responses, on numerous issues, including education.
As long as we live in a diverse society, this can be expected, but any discourse should be calm and backed by facts and figures.
Let’s look at the UEC. The reality is that only about 10,000 students sit for the exam annually, and many do so after completing their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam, or they sit for both.
In short, most of these Chinese students have opted for SPM and most obtained their passes in BM, or even a credit.
The UEC is the school leaving certificate for students attending Chinese private schools and is academically equivalent to the national Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or international A-levels.
It was created by the United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) to provide a unified examination.
The UEC is accepted by over 1,000 universities, including top universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Purdue, Tsinghua, Peking, Monash, and the National University of Singapore, among others.
For the record, UEC graduates have been accepted by private universities in Malaysia since the 1990s. The UEC is also recognised by Sabah and Sarawak and accepted by state-run education institutions.
There is much misconception that there are plans to replace the SPM with the UEC. That is impossible as most parents and students understand the importance of having an SPM certificate.
According to statistics, between 2021 and 2024, an average of 8,000 to 9,000 Chinese independent students sat for the SPM each year.
Of these, 85% to 90% qualified for the SPM, which requires a pass in Bahasa Malaysia and History. That means only the remaining 10% to 15% — or 1,000-odd — failed to pass the SPM.
Almost all Chinese independent school students then go to Senior Middle Level 3 to sit for the UEC exam the following year.
In short, the majority of the Chinese community, who send their children to government-run Sekolah Rendah Jenis Cina (SRJK), or vernacular schools, proceed to the normal secondary schools and sit for the SPM.
The UEC path for Chinese students is actually narrow, and those who tread the path understand the need to have the SPM cert as a form of insurance for their education and future career. The Chinese are practical people.
Malaysia currently has 63 independent Chinese schools with about 90,000 students in total – which is just 20% of the country’s 400,000 ethnic Chinese students. The other 80% are in the national education system.
In fact, there are UEC graduates with SPM passes who have joined the civil service as Chinese language teachers.
Those advocating for UEC recognition point out that 25% of about 8,000 graduates who studied overseas choose not to return to Malaysia to work, leading to a serious brain drain.
They argue that it is a myth that when students choose the UEC path, most will not study in local public universities because of financial reasons.
Free Malaysia Today journalist Rex Tan, a UEC graduate, shared that the UEC exam was “gruelling” and “I take pride in our competitive maths and science courses, which make SPM Science a piece of cake for most.
“I am grateful for my school’s strict academic regimen, its six-day school week and 60% passing-score grading system, with those who fail to meet the threshold having to retake in the same year. This moulded me into a disciplined person and a believer in diligence and merit.
“However, I found Dong Zong’s dedication of my second senior year (Year Five) to learning China’s history rather dubious.
“The syllabus felt overly ethnocentric – just like how my national school counterparts had Tamadun Islam choked down their throats in secondary schools and universities.
“That said, I benefited immensely from the final-year course on South-East Asian history, with a focus on Malaysia and Singapore.
“This was far more informative compared with the cherry-picked history textbooks of national schools,’’ he wrote.
He estimated that half of his peers now work in Singapore, with 20% in Johor Baru, another 20% in Kuala Lumpur (including himself), and the rest overseas.
“Since entering public university was never an option at the outset, most studied either in local private institutions or abroad, especially in Taiwan, which offers competitive tuition fees for ‘overseas Chinese’.’’
Tan said that “notwithstanding these fundamental flaws of independent Chinese secondary schools, I categorically disagree that UEC holders should be denied entry to public universities.
“The reason is simple: Public universities can serve as places for culturally outcast students to reintegrate into Malaysia’s diverse social fabric.”
Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam coordinator of Liberal Studies and senior lecturer Dr Mohd Yusof Zulkefli said the current debate over the UEC “is not about whether it should be recognised but how it should be recognised’’.
He reportedly said that unconditional recognition could blur the role of Bahasa Melayu in national education and weaken long-term policy objectives, particularly those outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint.
“A requirement for a good Bahasa Melayu SPM grade is both reasonable and fully aligned with national policy.
“Bahasa Melayu functions as the language of civic participation, public administration, and social cohesion,’’ he told the New Straits Times.
The Malaysian Union of Malay Teachers has also reportedly reaffirmed its opposition to UEC recognition, saying its syllabus does not meet national curriculum standards and undermines nation-building efforts.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Institute for Inclusive Development and Advancement deputy director Dr Anuar Ahmad has suggested discussions about the UEC’s status be addressed in a judicial setting.
He said the issue touches on constitutional interpretation, like the Education Act 1996 and the National Language Act 1963/67.
Amidst the noise, the door to getting the UEC recognised isn’t entirely shut, but Dong Zong has to take steps to fulfil certain requirements.
Certainly it has to seriously strengthen its BM and History syllabus in line with the national education system.
It should even consider having a compulsory Bahasa Malaysia Kertas Am, formerly known as the General Paper, in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) syllabus.
It has to revamp its curricula to have stronger students’ use of Bahasa Melayu and streamline its courses with the national syllabus.
It is understood that Dong Zong has formed a task force with Ikram Malaysia, a Malay NGO, to improve its BM learning and worked with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka on a BM enhancement programme as well initiated a multi-lingual group called Inisiatif Pengislahan Pendidikan Nasional (National Education Reform Initiative).
It is important that Dong Zong engage with Malay nationalists regularly to look for common ground and to reduce, if not remove, suspicion and misunderstanding.
Dong Zong, under the leadership of educationist Datuk Tan Yew Sing, has even started a media group to handle BM and English-speaking circles.
Tan is the founder and chairman of INTI International University and Colleges.
It is important that any national policy should be discussed rationally instead of in the midst of demands and threats made in a confrontational manner.
Finding practical and amicable solutions is much harder than making emotive arguments in the media.
Malay-based parties will never recognise the UEC for fear of grassroots backlash; Chinese-based parties will only raise the issue temporarily when they perceive a cascading loss in ground support, Tan wrote.
One side exploits the fear that Malays will lose their rights and fail to protect the national language while the other plays the UEC issue as a symbolic battle for equality under the Malaysian sun.
In the end, not enough Malaysians talk about how we should make our education system more attractive and better. All of us want to make Malaysia better, and while our approaches may be different, we all have that common end.
Certainly, we can all sit down together to find common approaches – with common sense – to make Malaysian education world class.
