BY NATASHA JEE & ABIDGAIL MERTA
KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will meet with the Minister of Education soon to have a better understanding of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) intention to not recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
He said he will discuss with MOE Minister Fadhlina Sidek to find out what the rationale is behind the ministry’s decision.
“I know there was already an answer (on UEC) given in the Parliament. I think the MoE said they are not considering incorporating UEC into the national syllabus.
“But there must be some reasons behind that, so I need to understand what the reasons are behind MoE’s decision not to accept UEC as part of the national syllabus,” he said.
He said this to reporters when asked to comment on the MOE’s plan not to recognise UEC after meeting with the youth under Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency in the ‘Juh Bekpes Dengan FY’ programme at a local eatery here today (Mar 4).
Fadillah, who is also the Petra Jaya Member of Parliament (MP), said that he will give support if the federal government follows what Sarawak has exercised, which is to recognise UEC.
“I remember during the previous government what we were looking at, which was that only if UEC would absorb some of the national syllabus, in particular history and so on, then it (UEC) may be able to be recognised.
“So that means there is still room for us to negotiate and discuss with relevant parties,” he said.
Earlier, Fadhlina was recently quoted in a news portal as saying that her ministry does not plan to recognise UEC.
The minister, in a written parliamentary reply to a question from Jerai MP Sabri Azit, said the stand was based on the National Education Policy and the Education Act 1996.
