Johor bahru: Pakatan Harapan (PH) deputy chairman Anthony Loke today dismissed allegations that the government was attempting to replace the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). Loke emphasized that over 80 per cent of UEC students also sat for the SPM examination, with 9,580 out of 10,944 students participating last year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Loke, who serves as the Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general, stated that this statistic has convinced the Cabinet that UEC students will continue to take the national examination as the foundation of their education. He highlighted that while the UEC is equivalent to the A-Level qualification and serves as an entry qualification for universities, the SPM remains a basic requirement, necessitating a credit in Bahasa Melayu and a pass in History.
Loke commended Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for addressing longstanding issues that previous prime ministers had avoided, despite including such promises in their manifestos. He made these remarks at the PH Convention at the Persada International Convention Centre in Johor, attended by Anwar and other PH leaders.
The Ministry of Higher Education recently announced that the Cabinet had agreed on several decisions regarding entry pathways for students from tahfiz institutions, private schools, and Chinese Independent Secondary Schools into public institutions of higher learning (IPTA). Loke mentioned that the policy implementation followed a Cabinet mandate, while further details involving additional subjects would be determined by university senates and the Ministry of Higher Education, which is currently led by a Barisan Nasional (BN) minister.
Loke assured that DAP would continue to uphold Bahasa Melayu as the national language and emphasized the importance of mastering multiple languages, including Malay, Chinese, English, Tamil, and Arabic, reflecting the philosophy of the MADANI Government.
He criticized opposition leaders, particularly from PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN), for opposing UEC recognition despite previously supporting it in their manifestos. Loke recalled that PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had promoted the 'Orange Book' in 2013, which promised UEC recognition, while former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had included similar commitments in the 'Book of Hope' in 2018.
Loke also addressed criticism from MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who claimed the recognition of only four UEC subjects was insufficient. He pointed out that MCA had been part of the government for decades but failed to resolve the issue.