PARENTS, TEACHERS OPPOSE REVIVAL OF UPSR, PT3-LIKE EXAMS

PETALING JAYA: A parents’ group and a teachers’ union have rejected calls for the reintroduction of major examinations for Year 6 and Form 3 students similar to the UPSR and PT3 exams that were scrapped several years ago.

The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) called the proposal “regressive”, saying it would push students to chase distinctions through rote learning rather than giving them a proper education.

PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the examination system tends to neglect the less academically inclined students. It also only serves to raise the stress levels of teachers, parents and pupils, she added.

“Bringing back major exams is not the answer. It will not reduce the number of students who don’t sit for SPM. It is not treating the disease, but rather the symptom.

“The answer is to provide more support in reading, writing and arithmetic to build a firm foundation and thus produce independent, self-disciplined and self-motivated learners who act on their own initiative rather than depend on teachers,” she told FMT.

Similarly, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said the UPSR and PT3 exams were not the best methods of assessing a student’s level of education and mastery of subjects.

NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon said the education ministry should instead draw up a comprehensive assessment which would involve both classroom and end-of-year exams.

He suggested having pre- and post-tests for reading, writing and arithmetic (3Rs), English, science and mathematics. These would involve assessing a student’s understanding both before and after they are taught a subject.

Fouzi said this would provide a more comprehensive gauge of a student’s understanding of key subjects. It will also identify strugglers at an earlier stage.

“If every four or six months a summation of a student’s mastery in literacy and numeracy is presented, and at each level of learning the teachers present the results of their module’s implementation, we would be able to spot possible dropouts earlier.

“In principle, the NUTP provides strong support to the education ministry, which continues to commit to ensuring that students continue to get the best,” he said.

On Sunday, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for a revamp of the education policy, saying the UPSR and PT3 exams have provided useful benchmarks to gauge the education levels of students before they sit for the SPM examination and pursue further studies.

Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairman Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki agreed with Zahid’s idea to revive the UPSR exam, citing the need for a more centralised evaluation system to measure the academic level of students before they enter secondary school.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the Cabinet would discuss the matter.

Noor Azimah, however, disagreed with Asyraf on the need for a centralised major exam for students, saying tests administered at the end of each academic year already serve the purpose.

She also pointed out that Mara already conducts adequate entrance assessments for students seeking admission to its junior science colleges (MRSM).

“Mara should instead bring back to MRSMs the Dual Language Programme (DLP) which was abolished when Zahid became rural and regional development minister.

If Mara cannot even do this for their students then it should not dream of achieving more than this,” she said.

Mara falls under the purview of the rural and regional development ministry.

2024-09-20T02:32:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd