The National Accreditation Board (LAN) wants to review the syllabus of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), sparking off concern among certain quarters.

The examination is run by local Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong since 1975. Except for Malaysia, it is recognised by the United Kingdom, United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

Although students with UEC are not allowed to enter public universities here, private colleges have accepted them.

In May, LAN issued an order that students who enter private colleges with UEC, A-Levels and overseas matriculation programmes must have passed the Malay language in their SPM exams.

This drew flak from Dong Jiao Zhong as the policy will eliminate the education opportunity of students from Chinese independent schools.

Later, Higher Learning Minister Dr Shafie Salleh clarified that students with UEC would be exempted from the new policy.

However, in a letter dated Sept 2, Lan had requested for the UEC syllabus.

No problem before

The letter, a copy of which was made available to malaysiakini , stated the education requirements for entering private colleges and universities but the list did not include the UEC.

The letter further stated that despite this, private colleges and universities accepted students with UEC and this has not been a problem with the ministry.

When contacted, Dong Jiao Zong chief executive officer Bock Tai Hee (pic left) said the movement has already sent the syllabus to LAN.

He also did not dismiss the possibility that LAN had requested the syllabus in order to officially recognise the UEC but added that there should not be any high hopes about this either.

Despite the future of the examination hanging in the balance, Bock said the request does have its plus points.

"At least now the government is aware of the existence of Chinese independent schools and the UEC. We won't push things but will continue doing our job as usual," he said when contacted.

Previously, he said Dong Jiao Zong had sent the syllabus to the ministry but there was no response.

"The education issue is politicised, if the UEC is judged by its standard alone then it would have been recognised by the government worldwide," he added.

Three UEC levels

Head of the UEC examination department Lee Hua Lain said there are three different levels of examinations under the UEC - Vocational Unified Exam (UEC-V), UEC (Junior Middle Level-JML) and UEC (Senior Middle Level-SML).

He said all the examination subjects for the UEC-V and JML are in Chinese, but for the SML, the questions for mathematics, science subjects (biology, chemistry and physics), book keeping, accounting and commerce are set in Chinese and English.

The UEC examination is restricted to students from 60 independent Chinese secondary schools in Malaysia.

During the 70s, UEC was a 'taboo subject'. In his book 'Protean Saga: The Chinese Schools of Malaysia', Chinese educationist Dr Kua Kia Soong said when the examination was about to be introduced, Chinese educationists were summoned to Parliament by then education minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"The latter (Mahathir) did not mince his words but told the Dong Jiao Zong leaders that UEC had better not be held or else ... He did not ask for any response and dismissed the Chinese educationists with a curt ... 'that is all'," he wrote.

LAN officials could not be reached for comment.