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Recently, there have been disagreements to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) as an academic qualification with international credibility similar to A-Levels. The recognition would allow its holders to apply for admission to public universities.
The disagreement is largely stemmed on the worry that the UEC does not prioritise Bahasa Melayu, the national language.
Education group Dong Zong has called for greater openness and mutual respect in the debate over recognising UEC, warning that framing language policy and education recognition as zero-sum issues will potentially deepen divisions and undermine national cohesion.
What is UEC and who is Dong Zong?
Dong Zong aka the United Chinese School Committee’s Association of Malaysia represents the boards of management of Chinese independent secondary schools.
Formed in 1954, Dong Zong was created to unite and protect Chinese education in Malaya from colonial attempts to dismantle vernacular schools.
In 1962, schools that were unwilling to change their language of education to English or Bahasa Melayu were changed to independent Chinese schools. The main language of instruction remained Chinese in these schools.
After the 1961 Education Act was passed, the government stopped providing standardised examinations in Chinese to these independent Chinese schools.
With no unifying body, each school designed and hosted their own examination papers.
Dong Zong then set up the UEC in 1975, which is equivalent to STPM and A-Levels.
Since then, Dong Zong has continuously fought for the UEC to be recognised by the Malaysian government.
Currently, the UEC is recognised in most Malaysian private institutions as well as in countries like Singapore, the UK, US, Canada, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and France.
Dong Zong also works closely with Jiao Zong, the United Chinese School Teachers’ Association. Collectively, they are known as Dong Jiao Zong and serve as the leading voice and watchdog for Chinese vernacular education.
Does the UEC prioritise Bahasa Melayu?
Dong Zong has said it respects Bahasa Melayu as the national language and has supported government policies to strengthen multilingual proficiency.
They have long worked with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to strengthen the teaching and learning of Bahasa Melayu in Chinese independent secondary schools. This was also an effort to enhance multilingual proficiency to meet national and international needs.
Bahasa Melayu is also a compulsory subject in the UEC curriculum. Notably, the pass rate has consistently exceeded 96% in recent years.
Despite Dong Zong undertaking the necessary steps to include the national language in its curriculum, there have been arguments that recognising UEC is unconstitutional.
In its arguments, Dong Zong quoted Article 152 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees citizens the rights to learn, use, and teach other languages, including Bahasa Melayu.
Dong Zong has questioned why other qualifications like A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB) are recognised despite not requiring Bahasa Melayu as a prerequisite.
The topic of recognising the UEC has been the perfect political football. During GE14 elections, Pakatan Harapan made a promise to recognise UEC in its manifesto. Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2013 also suggested granting recognition.
In this recent UEC debate, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he has no issue with proposals to uplift other languages as long as the mastery of Bahasa Melayu comes first.
DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) supports the push to recognise UEC. DAPSY clarified that recognising UEC is purely a matter of standardisation and not an attempt to change the national education philosophy.
What’s the enrollment rate in Chinese schools?
Chinese schools are known for its quality education and this makes them very attractive to parents, especially for those who want their children to pick up the Mandarin language.
According to Dong Zong, enrolment among non-Chinese students in Chinese schools have increased from 11.67% in 2014 to 18.52% in 2024.
It’s believed the growth momentum will continue. Some parents are already sending their young children to Chinese preschools to better prepare them to study in Chinese primary and secondary schools.
With the increasing enrollment rate, some may argue that Chinese schools are providing a good place to foster unity among different races. After all, nothing brings together people like a common goal like struggling to learn Mandarin together.
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