S2E63: Malaysia’s education gamble: UEC option and lowering school age

From considering UEC path to starting school at six – is Malaysia's education overhaul built to last? Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and China bureaus. For our February episode, ST's Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Eddin Khoo, historian, writer, educator, and founder of Malaysian traditional culture conservation group Pusaka. Highlights (click/tap above): 2:08 There are more encroachment into the Chinese minority in Kelantan now. What has changed in the last five years? 7:35 PAS' return to federal government seems imminent. What lessons should non-Muslims draw from Kelantan's experience? 11:19 Has the government found a durable solution on Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) or will this just spell more trouble in the future? 16:23 PM Anwar seems to have found a political balancing act on UEC. How sustainable is this? 19:38 Was the rollback on the Standard One readiness test responsive governance or poor planning? 22:12 What do Malaysians actually want from the education system? 26:52 If you were elected mayor of KL, what would you fix first? Read more: Where Muslims pray in 'Beijing Mosque' and a Chinese community finds its way Malaysia makes Malay and history compulsory for Chinese independent school route to public universities: After Sabah drubbing, debate reignites over little-known exam that could break up PM Anwar's coalition: Who should run KL? Study into local polls stirs fears over demographics: Read Zurairi A.R.'s articles: Read Shannon Teoh's articles: Sign up for ST's weekly Asian Insider newsletter: Host: Zurairi A.R. ( zurairi@sph.com.sg ) Produced and edited by: Fa'izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: Website: Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg SPH Awedio app: --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: Get more updates: The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: Google Play: ---

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S2E63: Malaysia’s education gamble: UEC option and lowering school age is an episode from Asian Insider by ST Podcast Team.

This episode is 33:58 long.

This episode was published on Feb 26, 2026.

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