There have been suggestions that recognising the UEC (Unified Examinations Certificate) would reverse the trend of Chinese school alumni going abroad for further studies. But how can this help if local universities are unable to accommodate even all those who qualify from national schools?

Nevertheless, what it can do is encourage graduates return to our tanahair (motherland) after completing their tertiary or higher education. This is particularly true for those who intend to work in the public sector, for instance, teachers, lecturers and researchers in local universities or any other government departments.

Personally, I wish I could be a professor in a public university. However, as I am a Chinese independent school graduate, I need an SPM or STPM qualification. Failing which, I would have no choice but to stay overseas, possibly Singapore.

For the Education Ministry to recognise the UEC, the Chinese schools should do more, especially on the teaching of Bahasa Malaysia. In my school, students' proficiency in the language sucks. Even worse, the classes are normally scheduled at the end of the school day, a time when everyone will be tired and sleepy. Many classmates of mine didn't take Bahasa Malaysia seriously. They thought since it is impossible for us to get into public universities, why "waste" our time on this class?

So if Chinese school students can't prove their Bahasa Malaysia proficiency to the public, I don't think it's possible the UEC can ever be recognised locally.

I recommend that the ministry recognises UEC but requires all the students to take Bahasa Malaysia papers at SPM or STPM level. This will not only make students learn the language more enthusiastically, since they can see the importance of doing so, but also help to promote the use of Bahasa Malaysia, especially among Chinese school students.

Studying overseas is actually not a bad trend, especially in Singapore where financial assistance and offers are abundant. Moreover, universities overseas are better compared with local ones. Hence, to have such graduates returning home to work would be good. But the problem is, how do we call them back?

My relatives would always ask, "Are you going to find a job overseas after graduating?"

The majority of us want to go back, but sometimes it is just impossible...