UEC Holders Can Now Enter Sarawak Universities Without A Bahasa Melayu Credit, But Must Pass It to Graduate
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Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) does not require Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders to have passed Bahasa Melayu to enter any of the four participating universities.
That much was confirmed this week during the state legislative assembly sitting.
What was not said as clearly — until Wednesday (14 October) — is that they still cannot graduate without it.
Sarawak Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee drew the distinction at a press conference at the State Legislative Assembly Complex in Kuching.
There are two different things — one is entry, and one is graduation. For entry, the law is silent. But for graduation, it is very clear. You will not be given a degree if you are not proficient in Bahasa Melayu.
The requirement, he said, does not originate from FTES or from any Sarawak policy.
It comes from Section 41(5) of the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) — a federal law governing all private universities in Malaysia.
Under that provision, Malaysian students who have not attained the prescribed level in the national language must fulfil the requirement before a certificate, diploma, or degree can be awarded.
Any Sarawakian UEC holder who meets the academic entry requirement and picks an approved course gets free tuition — no quota, no distinction from SPM students, no questions about school background.
One Rule Sarawak Did Not Write and Cannot Rewrite
UEC holders who enter under FTES and have not passed Bahasa Melayu will take Bahasa Kebangsaan A as part of the compulsory Mata Pelajaran Pengajian Umum (MPU) component after enrolment.
“They have to pass it. If they do not pass in Year One, they have to go through Year Two. Until they pass, then only can they graduate,” Dr Annuar said.
He stressed the requirement applies to all Malaysian students at private higher education institutions — not only UEC holders, and not only FTES recipients.
It is not only FTES, not only the 64 courses. Every student who enters a private university, when they want to graduate, they have to follow this law.
The four institutions covered under FTES — Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), and i-CATS University College — are all governed as private higher education institutions under Act 555, also known as the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996.
What the Scheme Does Offer
Any Sarawakian UEC holder who meets the academic entry requirement and picks an approved course gets free tuition — no quota, no distinction from SPM students, no questions about school background.
Sarawak’s policy change applies specifically to university admission.
UEC holders may now apply to the four institutions based on their academic results and programme requirements, without Bahasa Melayu being imposed as an entry condition.
FTES then operates as a separate layer: eligible Sarawakian students admitted into any of the 64 covered courses automatically receive tuition fee coverage.
Sarawak did not change the graduation requirement because that rule sits in an act of Parliament, beyond any state government’s reach.
Sarawak Was First, and Has Been Ahead Ever Since
Sarawak was the first state in Malaysia to officially recognise the UEC.
The landmark decision was made in September 2015, over a decade ago, under the leadership of the late Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
It also agreed in principle to let UEC graduates enter Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), a public university located in the state.
Adenan famously criticised the Federal government’s refusal to recognise the certificate, calling the rejection a waste of local talent that directly contributed to Malaysia’s brain drain.
Following Sarawak’s lead, several other states introduced forms of local recognition for UEC holders over the years, including Selangor (2015), Penang, Melaka, and Sabah (2019).
Despite these progressive steps by individual states—especially in Borneo—the Malaysian Federal Government still does not formally recognise the UEC for entry into West Malaysian public universities or the federal civil service.
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Parts of this story have been sourced from Borneo Post.
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UEC Holders Can Now Enter Sarawak Universities Without A Bahasa Melayu Credit, But Must Pass It to Graduate
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