PUTRAJAYA: The suggestion to reinstate the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) national examinations will be discussed in the Cabinet, says Fadhlina Sidek.
The Education Minister, however, said pupils should not be subjected to repeated experiments on these exams.
For now, she said, the ministry will go with what is being implemented currently.
“We have a bigger focus on things like the new education plan, the 2027 curriculum, and we have already incorporated various inputs (including thoughts about these major exams) into our engagement sessions for the roadshow that’s part of shaping the future of Malaysia’s education system.
“We are in the midst of preparing our overall view (of the suggestion) to bring up at the Cabinet meeting. However, it cannot be seen from one aspect only because it involves a bigger picture.
“Our children aren’t lab rats that we can study to keep re-implementing these exams back and forth,” she said, adding that the ministry has committed to strengthening classroom-based assessments (PBD) and teacher training to ensure the overall education of students.
Fadhlina was speaking to reporters after the ministry’s monthly assembly here yesterday, where she was asked to respond to views from educators who were calling for the UPSR and PT3 to be brought back, although the National Union of the Teaching Profession opposed its reinstatement.
Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said UPSR and PT3 had previously served as important benchmarks for student readiness before taking their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams in Form Five.
He said the absence of major assessments for Year Six and Form Three students needed to be addressed, especially as 10,177 students did not sit for their SPM last year due to 3Rs (reading, writing, arithmetic) learning issues.
The UPSR, previously a Year Six assessment, was abolished in 2021 while PT3 was scrapped the following year.
During the event, Fadhlina launched the 2024-2030 Education Strategic Plan and the appreciation of the Hadith 40 Imam Nawawi at the ministry level.
