GEORGE TOWN: The state government, unlike Sarawak, will not recognise the Unified Examination Certificate of independent Chinese-medium secondary schools as an entry qualification for civil service jobs, it was reported today.
Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy was quoted as saying that the Penang state government would comply with the federal guidelines.
Ramasamy’s remark appeared to conflict with chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s reported claim last week that the state government had long given recognition to the Chinese schools certificate.
Yesterday, Penang Gerakan Youth committee member Tang Ching Sern challenged Lim to produce the files of staff at the Penang Water Supply Corporation, Penang Development Corporation and Penang Hill Development Corporation as proof of recognition.
He said Lim should prove that he had committed no lies on this issue. “If it is true that the state government had long recognised UEC, it will provide an extra opportunity and avenue for job seekers in Penang,” said Tang in a statement.
Tang said his checks showed that the three companies did not stipulate UEC as among the qualifications for employment. “Then how can Lim claim that UEC has been accepted and recognised by the state government?”
However Star Online quoted Ramasamy as saying that the UEC was not recognised in peninsular Malaysia, unlike Sarawak which he said had a certain leeway and autonomy on education matters.
Ramasamy, who is executive councillor for education and human resources, said: “We have to follow the Federal Government on this.” Criteria for civil service employment are set by the Public Services Department.
It was not clear if PSD guidelines were applicable to employment at government-owned corporations.
Sarawak would be the first state to recognise the UEC, which has been the common public examination for Chinese-medium schools since 1975. Sarawak United People’s Party president Sim Kui Hian announced the state recognition on Monday.
School-leavers with a UEC and a credit in SPM Bahasa Malaysia would be eligible to apply for government jobs, obtain Yayasan Sarawak grants, apply to study at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak as well as at other colleges pending agreement on technical aspects, he was reported to have said.
No comments:
Post a Comment