KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Vice-President Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani has called for the issue of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) not to be politicised.
He, who is also the Minister of Plantation and Commodities, said Malaysia has various education systems and what is important is respecting each other’s choices.
“The most basic thing is that every Malaysian must respect what we have in this country.
“If you do not agree with the UEC, you don’t need to take it. If there are those who believe the UEC helps them at the international level, that is their choice,” he said, as reported by the media.
He said this after officiating the UK PACT 2.0 Programme: Malaysia-UK Cooperation for Accelerated Climate Transitions here today.
Recently, DAP Deputy Chairman Nga Kor Ming said the party would meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to request that the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) be recognised.
Established in 1975, the UEC is the examination for Chinese independent secondary schools in Malaysia. At the national level, the UEC is not recognised by the Federal Government and public universities.
Commenting further, Johari said the public is free to decide the stream, class or institution they wish to pursue without any coercion.
He added that national schools also have syllabuses determined by the government, and any changes must be carefully reviewed. – December 11, 2025