THE Education Ministry will complete a “comprehensive” study before deciding whether to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the standardised test for Chinese independent high school students.

Additionally, any decision the ministry makes will not jeopardise the status of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, said Education Minister Maszlee Malik.

“Regarding the UEC issue, I would like to stress here, as I have before, that the Education Ministry will be conducting a holistic study before arriving at any decision regarding the recognition of UEC,” he said in a statement today.  

Maszlee acknowledged that in Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto, the coalition pledged to recognise UEC for entry into public universities.

“Before carrying out this recognition, we have to take into consideration the importance of Bahasa Malaysia as a national language and whether it will affect national unity and Malaysian harmony.

“Therefore, the views of various parties is vital and the interaction between the ministries and the relevant parties will remain my priority,” he said.

Following its victory on May 9, Chinese educationists have been urging PH to make good on its promise.

Malay educationists and Malay rights groups are however crying foul over what they see as an attempt to erode the importance of Bahasa Malaysia.

All non-language subjects are tested in the Chinese language, as opposed to government standardised exams conducted in BM.

Currently, local public universities do not recognise UEC results for their entry requirements, although local private higher learning institutions do. – July 15, 2018.