-The Star filepic
KUCHING: Sarawak welcomes the Education Ministry's support towards the state's initiative to introduce its own Year Six assessment system in place of the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).
State Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah (pic) said the collaborative efforts of the Education Ministry and state Education Department to provide valuable input in raising the quality of education in Sarawak were much appreciated.
This comes after Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry would give input to Sarawak on its proposed assessment system.
"We always consider Sarawak as an example among the states that place emphasis on education. If the framework to be developed is aimed at strengthening assessment, we will certainly support it because it is the direction of the Education Ministry which is holistic development (through) assessment, not examinations," she said on Thursday (Nov 2).
Sagah reiterated that the state's intention in introducing its own assessment system was not to burden teachers, parents or students but to put in place positive initiatives to shape the future direction of education for students.
He said the assessment was vital in light of the dual language programme (DLP) for the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English, which was being implemented in Sarawak.
"The assessment will serve as a means to gauge the effectiveness of the DLP, as well as all other initiatives which we have put in place to increase the uptake of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in our schools.
"With the assessment in place, we will also be able to identify areas for improvement and implement interventions," he said in a statement.
Sagah also looked forward to working closely with all stakeholders, especially the Education Ministry and department, to make the proposed assessment a success.
"I believe that together, we can create an education system that benefits the students, Sarawak and the nation as a whole," he added.
