 It is not recognised by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities, but most private colleges recognise it.Because the UEC is not recognised by the Malaysian government, some Chinese independent high schools opt to teach the national secondary school curriculum (in Malay) alongside the independent school curriculum (in Chinese) and require students to sit for the government standardised tests (PMR, SPM or even STPM) as private school candidates, providing the students an opportunity to obtain government-recognised certificates.Chinese educationalist Dr Kua Kia Soong mentions the introduction of the UEC in his book "Protean Saga