Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali today announced that Universiti Selangor (Unisel) will recognise the Unified Examination Certificate which Putrajaya has refused to acknowledge for admission into public universities.

Azmin said the recognition will take effect this year as part of efforts to arrest the brain drain in the state.

"The state government acknowledges the big role played by the Chinese independent schools in human development.

"This effort will help to avoid the brain drain problem that is worsening.

"Statistics show that 3,000 students graduate with UEC certification every year," he said in his Budget 2016 speech to the state assembly this afternoon.

While public secondary school students graduate with Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Chinese independent schools students graduate under UEC which is not recognised by the federal government.

With the announcement, Selangor becomes the second state to recognise UEC, after Sarawak.

In September, Sarawak announced that it will accept UEC as qualification for entrance into the state's civil service, as well as into Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.