KUCHING, Sept 21 — Sarawak has agreed in principle to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) as a qualification for entry into its civil service, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian announced today.

Following a meeting with Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, Sim said the decision will allow UEC holders from Chinese independent schools to meet entry requirements to join the civil service.

"The state Cabinet will endorse the recognition at this week's Cabinet meeting," Sim told Malay Mail Online.

"I am glad to say that Sarawak is the first and only State in Malaysia to give due recognition to UEC qualification," he said.

The UEC qualification is the equivalent of the SPM.

Sim added, however, that UEC holders will not be eligible for pensions as that would require similar changes at the federal level, but will instead join the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) that is applicable to the private sector.

Chinese school graduates are also required to possess a credit in Bahasa Malaysia at a minimum.

"The State Civil Service is an autonomous body and does not depend on the Federal Public Service Commission for approval," he said.

He said UEC holders will be accepted to study at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UEC), and that the Management of the Chinese School Board will work with the UNIMAS Senate to work out the technical details.

"Those UEC holders with good grades will also be accepted to study medicine at the university," Sim said.

He said the Chief Minister also told him that UEC holders may apply to Sarawak Foundation for study loans, just like the holders of SPM or STPM, upon being accepted into UNIMAS or the Miri Campus of Curtin University of Technology and Kuching Campus of Swinburne University of Technology.

He said Curtin and Swinburne have already accepted students with UEC entry qualifications.

Sim said SUPP together with the Management of the Chinese School Board have been working hard to get the State government to recognise UEC as one of the qualifications to enter the State Civil Service.

"To me, it is not really a surprise that the chief minister has given his approval," he said.