THE Education Ministry faced criticism from MCA today for not pushing for the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) soon enough.

Senator Ti Lian Ker criticised the ministry for the delay on ensuring the UEC, a standardised test for Chinese independent schools, was recognised by public universities.

Ti, who is also MCA publicity spokesman, questioned Pakatan Harapan’s commitment to its Chinese supporters and sought clarification on an earlier statement by Education Minister Maszlee Malik that it would take five years for the UEC to be recognised.

“The UEC is recognised in Sarawak… When you gave your promise in the election manifesto, you are to fulfil it as you have been given a mandate. This is not sincere; this is dishonest and you are disrespectful to the will of the people,” Ti said.

Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching, meanwhile, denied that Mazlee had said Pakatan needed five years to recognise the UEC.

“He said the UEC recognition was not part of the 100-day manifesto promises. He said that it may take longer than that, by which he (Ti) took to mean as five years.

“I would like to remind you that the recognition of the UEC was a promise repeatedly made by your fellow compatriots, the former deputy minister of education (Wee Ka Siong) and deputy minister of higher education (Hou Kok Chung), but the promise was never fulfilled despite all their years in the previous government.

“Why don’t you instead convince your partners in Umno that the UEC is not a racial issue?”

Teo earlier said the ministry was still conducting a fact-finding study on the matter.

Senator Khairul Azwan Harun from Umno earlier questioned whether Bahasa Malaysia and History would be subjects that required mandatory passes should the government recognise the UEC, to which Teo replied that the matter was still under review.

Teo said public universities currently recognised the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Malaysian Matriculation programme, public university or polytechnic diplomas and the High Certificate of Religious Study.

Umno had opposed the UEC, with its vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob saying the certification did not follow the National Education Policy and caused disunity among ethnic groups.

Joining in were Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria, who said the UEC would challenge the status of Bahasa Malaysia and incite racial sentiments, while Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob said the PAS-controlled state government would not recognise the UEC.

Since its introduction in 1975, the UEC has seen 645,000 graduates. – August 20, 2018.