UPSR And PT3 Exams Remain Irrelevant
A School-Based Assessment is deemed a game changer for MoE to shift from exam-oriented assessments to a more holistic, student development-oriented one.
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The Ministry of Education (MoE) has insisted it will not reverse their decision to abolish the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT) assessments which were made in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said this decision is due to the examinations being deemed no longer relevant especially in leading the National Education Philosophy.
“I take this opportunity to emphasise that at this point we will not turn back, and maintain the decision to abolish UPSR and PT3 because they are no longer relevant,” she said in a Berita Harian report.
During the winding up session of the 2025 Supply bill in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (11 November), Fadhlina added that MOE is giving opportunity to the School-Based Assessment to go well, and that whatever happens, education must return to the National Education Philosophy.
Several Members of Parliament intervened to ask the MoE reconsider reinstating the two exams.
Following the abolition of UPSR from 2021 and PT3 from 2022, MoE is focusing on empowering School-Based Assessment involving the components of Classroom Assessment, Physical Activity, Sports and Co-Curricular Assessment, as well as Psychometric Assessment.
The School-Based Assessment is deemed a game changer for MoE to shift from exam-oriented assessments to a more holistic, student development-oriented one.
Despite the MoE deciding that UPSR will not return, many still hope the examination for Standard 6 students will be held again.
Although UPSR and PT3 were abolished, it does not mean there will be no exams in schools, Fadhlina said.
“There will still be exams, that’s why in my answer earlier I insisted that we will strengthen the final exam of the academic session (UASA).”
“It is a final test as part of the assessment context for parents who feel their children need to be assessed through exams,” she added.
She also mentioned that UASA is low-risk in the effort to move from an exam-oriented process to an assessment-oriented one.
In a separate development, Fadhlina said the MoE will emphasise the basics of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through the 2027 curriculum.
“MoE is committed to providing TVET assessment to primary school level students to enable them to make appropriate choices when entering secondary level after Form 3.”
“Early exposure to TVET education was introduced to all students from the beginning of Year 4 at the primary school level through design and technology subjects starting in 2014,” she said.
Public concerns regarding the abolition of UPSR and PT3
Members of the public have raised their concerns on social media on the matter, with most disagreeing with MoE’s view of the exams being irrelevant and its decision to abolish them.
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