PRIME Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has denied that his administration is moving to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) following a meeting with Chinese education group Hua Zong on Thursday.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement today saying Muhyiddin had instead said the UEC received partial recognition when the previous administration accepted UEC graduates for a teaching degree programme for the Chinese language under the Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia.

The government in 2012 accepted UEC graduates from the programme, with the condition that they sat for the SPM examination and obtain at least a passing grade for Bahasa Malaysia.

“The prime minister wishes to stress that UEC needs to follow the National Education Policy if it wishes a resolution from the government in the future,” the statement said.

In a statement after meeting Muhyiddin, the association said that the prime minister expressed the government’s willingness to negotiate with Hua Zong and other Chinese civil society groups on the UEC issue but urged all parties to understand the country’s policies and circumstances.

Sarawak became the first state to recognise the UEC in 2015, which means those holding the certificate can work in the state’s civil service and study at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Penang, Selangor and Malacca have also recognised the qualification.

Shortly after Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the government in 2018, the Education Ministry announced it would set up the UEC review committee in September that year.

No report was presented to the cabinet prior to the fall of the PH government in February this year.

In 2016, non-Chinese formed about 18% of the population in Chinese schools, according to Education Ministry statistics. – July 19, 2020.