KUALA LUMPUR - The government’s decision to conditionally open admission pathways for Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) graduates into public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) should be viewed with due care, maturity and balanced consideration, academics said.
In a joint statement today, Dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences and Technology (Fest), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Professor Dr Noraffandy Yahaya, and Fest lecturers Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Abd Hadi Bunyamin and Associate Professor Dr Abdul Halim Abdullah said the matter should be assessed within the framework of national education policy, equitable access, academic quality, national unity and the country’s need for talent across various fields.
They stressed that the key distinction lies between a limited admission pathway and full recognition, with the restricted route providing conditional access for selected student groups to pursue courses suited to their academic background.
Full recognition, they said, means the qualification is generally accepted for all programmes, similar to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), matriculation and foundation studies.
"Based on a statement from the Higher Education Ministry, the pathway does not constitute full recognition of the UEC for all public university programmes. Instead, it is a specific route for candidates from outside the national education system, including tahfiz graduates and those from Chinese independent secondary schools (SMPC)/UEC, to be considered for entry into selected programmes.
"For SMPC/UEC graduates, the programmes mentioned include Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language Studies, Chinese Language and Linguistics, Chinese Studies, and Chinese Language with Education. Candidates are also required to take Bahasa Melayu and History subjects conducted by the Malaysian Examinations Board and certified by the Ministry of Education,” they said.
According to them, Bahasa Melayu is the national language, the language of knowledge and the language of national administration, while History fosters an understanding of nation-building, the Federal Constitution, national institutions, societal diversity and the country’s journey to independence.
"When candidates from outside the national education system are required to meet these conditions, it reflects that openness of access is not detached from loyalty to the national framework. In the context of public universities, academic ability alone is insufficient without a minimum level of national literacy and respect for the foundations of Malaysia’s formation,” they said.
The academics said the government’s decision reflects a pragmatic approach to managing the realities of the country’s education system, which comprises various education streams, while emphasising that admissions to public universities must always be based on merit, programme suitability, academic capability and fulfilment of set requirements.
They said that UEC graduates who take all SPM subjects and fulfil the general and specific requirements of a programme through a recognised admission system should be assessed like other candidates, stressing that the main issue is not educational background but compliance with national qualification standards.
According to them, UEC should not be viewed as a purely racial issue, as both tahfiz education and UEC reflect the existence of alternative education pathways within the education system.
They said the government’s challenge today is to ensure that the alternative pathway does not evolve into a system entirely separate from national aspirations.
They also said this approach must be viewed within the context of Malaysia’s need for language, cultural and diplomatic talent, emphasising that the country requires graduates who are not only skilled in professional fields but also equipped with cross-language, cross-cultural and cross-civilisational capabilities.
The academics were of the view that several principles must be upheld, including that any expansion of the pathway should be announced transparently, that academic requirements must not be relaxed to the extent of creating a perception of unfairness, and that public universities must assess candidates based on programme capacity, curriculum and quality standards.
In addition, they said the government should clearly define the terms "considered”, "accepted”, "recognised” and "equivalent” to avoid confusion among the public.
"In conclusion, the decision to open a limited pathway for UEC graduates, with Bahasa Melayu and History requirements (they pass Bahasa Melayu and History) and restricted to certain programmes, can be seen as an effort to strike a balance between inclusiveness and the integrity of the national education policy.
"It is not a decision that should be excessively celebrated, and it is not one that should be rejected emotionally,” they said. -BERNAMA