By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 16: If the federal government maintains that the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) involves constitutional issues, then the responsible and democratic approach would be to propose a constitutional amendment through Parliament, allowing the matter to be debated openly and transparently and decided through a parliamentary vote.
In a statement, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting said that UEC recognition is not a political manoeuvre, but a major education issue that directly affects the future of the next generation.
“Education is of fundamental importance to our children and students. The government has a responsibility to provide the best possible educational opportunities and a conducive learning environment, which naturally includes language education. Education policies must be forward-looking and genuinely focused on preparing children for future global competition, rather than being confined by outdated thinking,” he said.
He said that the Chinese language is rapidly growing its importance in international trade, technological cooperation and regional engagement, emerging as another important international language similar to English.
Ting noted that in recent years, many Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority countries have formally incorporated the Chinese language into their national education systems.
“Saudi Arabia has introduced Chinese language programmes in selected schools, while countries such as Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Pakistan have also begun offering Chinese language classes at the school level.
“At the same time, Saudi education authorities have introduced various incentives to encourage the learning of Chinese, including study and exchange programmes in China. Under Saudi Vision 2030, Chinese language skills are explicitly identified as an important competency in sectors such as tourism and entertainment,” he said.
He said this demonstrates that Chinese is no longer a niche language but is steadily becoming an important international language.
“Education policies should be centred on the interests of children, not driven by political considerations. Ignoring the importance of language skills and multicultural education will undermine our children’s ability to compete with their peers from other countries, which would be an irresponsible approach to the nation’s future,” he said.
Ting also highlighted that students enrolled in independent Chinese secondary schools today also include indigenous students, allowing them access to an additional language and to acquire broader skills that create more opportunities and possibilities for their future.
“SUPP will continue to firmly uphold multicultural education and fair access to educational opportunities and urges the federal government to re-examine the UEC issue with a more open, pragmatic and forward-looking approach, truly acting in the best interests of the nation and future generations,” he said. — DayakDaily
