SIBU: The Education Ministry’s decision not to recognise the United Examination Certificate (UEC) diploma has aroused a lot of discussion in the local Chinese community.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong branch chairman Wong Ching Yong said this also included the funding for independent high schools which the federal government had no obligation to institutionalise, according to Education Minister, Fadhilina Sidek, during the ongoing Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Hence, Wong hopes that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would explain the decision to ease the concerns of those who care about Chinese education.
“The community wants to know whether the matter has been discussed by the Cabinet or whether the Minister of Education made her own decisions. What is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar’s position on this subject?” he asked.
He said this at a luncheon organised by a Buddhist Temple in Sungai Pak here on Sunday.
Wong demanded a clear explanation as soon as possible from Anwar and his cabinet on funding independent Chinese schools as he deemed the decision disappointing and not acceptable.
“I think he must give the Chinese community a clear explanation immediately because the sudden announcement by the Minister of Education is very shocking and extremely disappointing,” he said.
Wong stressed that Pakatan Harapan had not lived up to the 14th and 15th General Elections promises where they specifically included the recognition of the UEC in its election manifesto.
“In the 14th general election, the DAP won 42 seats, and the PKR had 47 seats. However, it seems that the 13-seat Bersatu Party, or Mahathir, has the final say on whether to recognise the UEC.
“Knowing that this commitment is valid for the Chinese community, in the 15th general election in 2022, the Pakatan Harapan once again incorporated the recognition of the UEC into the manifesto, and the DAP once again won 40 seats, becoming the party with the most seats.
“The supporters thought there would be no problem this time, but the Minister of Education said the UEC was not given priority, and she was not obliged to allocate funds to the independent high schools,” he said.
Wong also said that the Unity Government should perhaps follow the example of the Sarawak government which in September 2015 recognized the UEC and accepted independent secondary school students to apply for jobs as Sarawak government civil servants, Sarawak Foundation scholarships, and higher education institutions established by the Sarawak government.
“As for funding, the Sarawak government started to allocate RM3 million to independent high schools in 2014, and then not only gave it every year but also increased it every year. By 2022, the annual allocation for independent high schools has reached RM10 million,” he said.
