KUCHING, Aug 4: The Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) believes that the Education Ministry should prioritise the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) rather than introduce Jawi calligraphy.
SPA chairman Datuk Lau Pang Heng in a statement said his association has nothing against the learning of a new skill but it needs to be optional and not compulsory.
“The federal has promised to recognise UEC qualifications since 2015. But it has been four years now and we have yet to hear official words from the federal authority,” he said.
Lau said since the state government has already recognised the UEC, and there should not be any disadvantages for the federal government to do the same, as the certificate is recognised internationally by high ranking universities.
“SPA prays that the federal government will keep its words to recognise UEC and offer other language skill as optional to the school children,” he said.
The Education Ministry on August 2 in a statement said it will proceed with the introduction of a khat calligraphy segment for the Standard 4 Bahasa Melayu syllabus next year as planned.
It said said khat was an integral part of Malaysia’s national identity and Bahasa Melayu which is the national language and the language of unity.
“Apart from this, this form of writing appears on the coat of arms for Malaysia and her respective states. It also appears on Malaysian banknotes.
“The ministry is committed to building a Malaysia which is well-versed in the nation’s traditions,” said the ministry.
The introduction of khat, said the ministry, was decided upon in 2014 and many language and education experts were consulted. — DayakDaily
