KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be unveiling a new language policy which includes the Unified Examination Certificates (UEC) held by Chinese independent schools, says DAP Secretary-General Loke Siew Fook.

Loke, who is also Transport Minister, said the DAP had on many occasions informed Anwar that the recognition of UEC receives close attention in the Chinese community and the matter should be given a clear directive.

“We told the Prime Minister that UEC is utmost important for the Chinese community. Chinese voters pay close attention on this matter. Hence, there should be a directive and an answer for the recognition of UEC.

“We are confident that the Prime Minister is aware of the matter and will handle it,’’  Loke said this in an interview with journalist turned blogger Lum Chih Feng in a podcast called The Keywords on Youtube on Dec 9.

Loke said the new language policy, to be announced in the next few months, would focus on enhancing Malay language, English and other languages besides Chinese.

“The new policy will upgrade the standard of languages including Malay, English and Chinese. The UEC will also be handled under this framework.

“We are looking forward to a new solution in six months,’’ he said.

Loke admitted that due to policy issue in the Peninsular Malaysia, the recognition of UEC was pending for years, which involved different powers and political reality requiring a new approach to look for a balance.

“We did not give up. We continue to soldier on but there are different forms of retaliation within the government and this has to be given consideration,’’ he said.

The recognition of UEC is one of the election manifestos of Pakatan Harapan. 

The UEC is a standardised examination under the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (MICSS) system, administered by the United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong) since 1975.

The MICSS system offers six years of secondary education—three years of Junior Middle (comparable to Forms 1, 2 and 3) and three years of Senior Middle (comparable to Forms 4, 5 and 6).

At the end of Junior Middle, students will need to sit for the Junior Middle Three exams. Subsequently, Senior Middle Three students will sit for the Unified Examination.

Students with UEC qualification can apply directly to a private college or university in Malaysia to pursue a tertiary qualification; however, UEC is not accepted for entry into a public university in Peninsular Malaysia.

UEC holders who are not accepted by public universities in Malaysia end up studying in local private universities, Singapore or abroad.

In addition to more than 300 private higher education institutions in Malaysia that recognise the UEC qualification, over 1000 universities around the world including those in Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Russia, the United States, Canada and others accept the UEC qualification for direct entry into their tertiary programmes.

Prior to its state election in November, Sabah state government announced the recognition of UEC in October.

Students in Sabah who sit for the examination and score a credit in Malay language in SPM are eligible to apply for Sabah state scholarships, study in education institutions under Sabah state government and qualify to join the civil service in Sabah.

In Sarawak, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said students who graduated with the UEC will be eligible to enroll in state-owned institutions of higher education under the free tertiary education scheme, set to begin in 2026, according to a news report on July 12, 2024.

Sarawak recognises the UEC, and beginning in 2026, students with this certificate will be eligible for our state-owned universities under the free tertiary scheme.