There is no problem for UEC graduates to enter Sarawak government universities

KUCHING, 17 Oct: Qualified Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders also have the opportunity to continue their studies at Sarawak's universities, with proficiency in Malay not being an obstacle for those who qualify for admission.

Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said UEC graduates have studied Malay and History as part of their education.

"UEC graduates can also enter Sarawak universities and Malay language is not a problem as they have already studied Malayalam and History in UEC.

"They already have Malay language skills when entering university so small things like this should not be a cause of dispute. What is important, we need to master multiple languages, Malay, English and Chinese", he said.

He said this while addressing the 10th Birthday Dinner of the Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) at UNIFOR Complex, tonight.

According to him, the development of quality human capital is essential to ensure Sarawak has a workforce capable of meeting future economic needs, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

In other developments, Johari stressed the importance of the role of private sector in helping the government identify system weaknesses and improve policy for the state's economic interests.

He said the private sector that operates professionally can act as a checks and balances mechanism by providing feedback based on real issues facing industry, without being affected by political interests.

For example, he touched on the issue of the sale of AirBorneo tickets by a third party allegedly creating a black market following low-cost airlines.

"We don't need the opposition to tell us. We know what's going on and from there, the private sector can identify weaknesses and implement improvements to existing systems for the overall economic benefit", he added.

He said the approach enabled issues facing industry to be handled professionally, thus ensuring government policies continued to support economic and societal interests.

He said that cooperation between the government and private sector, including SBF, will continue to be important in dealing with global economic change and realizing Sarawak's development for decades to come. - TVS