PKR Secretary-General Says Hassan Karim’s UEC Remarks Do Not Represent Government Position
JOHOR BAHRU: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has clarified that remarks made by Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim regarding the admission of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders into public universities do not reflect the government’s official position.
PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said Hassan’s comments represented his personal opinion and should not be interpreted as the stance of either the government or the party.
According to her, the decision allowing graduates from Chinese Independent Secondary Schools and UEC holders to pursue selected programmes at public higher education institutions was approved with clear conditions, including possessing the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) and passing Bahasa Melayu and History subjects.
“The decision was made with clear requirements, including SPM qualifications as well as passes in Bahasa Melayu and History,” she told reporters after attending a PKR programme in Johor Bahru today.
Fuziah Salleh said the matter was not new, noting that previous administrations had also imposed similar conditions for UEC holders seeking admission into public universities.
She stressed that the issue should not be turned into a political controversy as similar approaches had been implemented previously.
“This matter should not become a political tirade because it is clear and has been practised before,” she said.
Yesterday, Hassan Abdul Karim called on Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to resign, claiming they had failed to defend the national education policy concerning public university admissions.
Earlier, the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (KPT) announced that graduates from tahfiz institutions, Chinese independent secondary schools and other institutions outside the national education system would be allowed to apply for selected programmes at public universities, subject to specific conditions.
The move followed a Cabinet decision regarding admission pathways for students from outside the national education system into Malaysia’s public higher education institutions.
-wilayah.com.my
