PETALING JAYA: Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders do not need to pass Bahasa Melayu to qualify for Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), says Sarawak’s deputy minister of education, innovation and talent development Dr Annuar Rapaee.
He said eligibility depended on meeting the academic and programme-specific admission requirements of the four participating institutions – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), Curtin University Malaysia and i-CATS University College.
According to The Borneo Post, he said UEC holders did not need to pass Bahasa Melayu to qualify for admission. However, he said they should be proficient in English as it is the main language of instruction at the four institutions.
“They do not need Bahasa Melayu to qualify for entry into our four universities or to receive free tertiary education,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Sarawak state assembly sitting.
He was responding to See Chee How (Independent-Batu Lintang) about the eligibility criteria for UEC holders under FTES.
Annuar said admission requirements varied by institution and programme A UEC holder generally needs five Grade Bs to qualify for a bachelor’s degree programme, along with additional prerequisite subjects for certain courses such as Mathematics, Additional Mathematics and Physical Science. Some institutions also imposed their own English-language proficiency requirements.
UEC holders admitted to any of the 64 courses covered by FTES would not need to submit a separate application for the scheme.
As of June 30, 192 UEC students were receiving full tuition fee coverage under FTES. Of these, 137 were studying at Swinburne Sarawak, 33 at UTS, 21 at Curtin Malaysia and one at i-CATS University College.
Annuar said UEC students would receive the same treatment as other students in securing industrial placements, provided they obtained placements in the relevant industries.
He said the inclusion of UEC holders in FTES reflected Sarawak’s policy of ensuring that deserving Sarawakians had equal opportunities to pursue higher education and develop their potential, skills and talents.
He added that Sarawak’s education policy was based on the principle that education should transcend race and ethnicity, serve as a means of social mobility, and help lift communities out of poverty – particularly in rural areas.
“No deserving Sarawakian should be denied educational opportunities,” he said.
“I hope this sends a very clear message to all Sarawakians, particularly UEC holders, that you are no different from others.”
The UEC is the school-leaving certificate for students attending Chinese independent schools and is academically equivalent to the national Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or international A-levels.
The certificate was recognised by Sarawak in 2016 for entry to state civil service positions, state-owned colleges and universities, and to qualify for Yayasan Sarawak education loans.