UPSR , PMR exams may be abolished: Muhyiddin

MUAR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations may be abolished. He said this was part of government efforts to restructure the learning system that as seen as too examination oriented and failed to provide a holistic education. "We are mulling whether to retain the examinations or abolish them leaving only the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)," he said after opening the Pagoh Umno division delegates meeting here Friday. Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister said UPSR and PMR might be retained but only as school-based assessments and not as public examinations. However, the ministry would not act in haste and wanted the public to give feedback to help improve the public examination system. He felt that only one public examination was needed as only the SPM was needed when seeking employment. As such, the UPSR and PMR could be used to pick students for residential schools or streaming. "With only one public examination, the teachers and students can focus on improving creativity, interactive and co-curricular activities and sports, he said. The proposal to scrap UPSR and PMR examinations in the future appears to have supporters. Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) president Jais Abdul Karim said the move would strengthen the education system and produce students who are more focused. "Our system is too exam-oriented which stresses out the students and they study blindly to pass exams, without understanding its relevance for use in the future," he told Bernama here Sunday. Jais said should they follow through with the proposal, the government would need to formulate a new method or mechanism to measure the achievement of student.

"A lot of goodwill comes from this move and teachers will also have more time to teach students effectively," he said. Meanwhile, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president, Hashim Adnan said UPSR was still relevant and should be maintained, since it helped motivate primary school students to study hard. However, he agreed with the abolishment of PMR as the exam's sole purpose was to determine which stream students would go to in Form Four. "The UPSR is relevant as it ranks students and encourages them to do their best so they are more prepared to face secondary school," he said. Meanwhile, Malaysia Education Service Ex-Officers Association (PBPPPM) liaison officer Abdul Karim Abdullah said the move was appropriate to ensure teachers and students have more time to focus on co-curriculum and sports activities. "Previously, co-curricular activities and sports took a lot of time and distracted students from focusing on their studies, so this way the students will have more time for both their studies and their extra activities," he added. - Bernama

Abolish examinations?

I can still barely remember the title of continuous essay I chose to elaborate on while taking English paper during SPM examination in year 2008. It was asking for the advantages and disadvantages of examination. I thought I had given my best shot and expected to score a satisfying result, but I had to face the fact that my essay could only rank B4 in the 1119 paper (it is the English subject of GCE OLevel examination) when the result was released.

Based on what I read, examination was first introduced in ancient China when the emperors required a system to evaluate the nationwide scholars. Their knowledge of history, their personal virtue and capability in handling or solving problems such as military dilemma and economic crisis would be heavily tested within continuous days, restlessly. Passing the exam was a prerequisite before scholars are awarded the authority of managing a designated mission as "cabinet member" or what has been famously known as "guan", the court officer who was involved in judiciary decisions. During that particular period, serving the government under the emperor's name was the ultimate ambition of every man. They had no choice but sit for examinations.

After centuries, examination is seen to have assimilated into different nations. It eventually becomes one of the most common evaluative measure conducted to different groups of people in various ways, but with a similar objective. Examination has always been hotly debated for its disadvantages as what is happening recently in our society of Malaysia. Policy makers announced it is the time to reevaluate this measure as it seems to bring more harm to students. At the same time, people are suggesting the need to modify the flawed education system by reintroducing a relatively dynamic learning method under an atmosphere that appears to be more conducive and less stress. The most possible outcome is that one or more significant examinations would be abolished.

In my opinion, straight to the point, examination is a system that was well practised for a long term of time before people could really find out its harm. Further analysing would tell us the colossal and accumulative stress does affect the students adversely. However I believe moderate stress is the best motive force that keeps our pace in track when we own a target to achieve.

Another thing we concern is, how are we going to handle the problem of a large number of fresh graduated primary school student with "unknown potential" in their enrollment of secondary school? Apparently there must be a final exam such as UPSR to do this job.

PMR might seem less significant, thus it would most probably be abolished. However, when we reflect on the benefits of taking PMR, candidates can actually find out whether he should prepare himself to pick up subjects of art stream or science stream. Having prepared in PMR, students can be mentally prepared to sit for SPM too.

Examination in Malaysia has been mechanized and doing not-so-good in its quality control. It can be improved, but not easy though. I am wondering why the policy makers do not prefer to modify it before getting rid of it.

Whether there will be a real abolishment or not, this is the critical moment whereby people's concern has finally brought about some stirred movement in the cabinet. However, this is also the moment when a considerate attitude is needed to reach a compromise, or else the latest generation of students in Malaysia will get trapped in the uncertainties in their fate.

If the government does take care of this issue so much, do remember to reevaluate the recognition of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of Chinese Independent High School and tune the huge injustice gap existing between the preuniversity programmes.

SHOULD the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia examination be abolished?

Whither now with the Sixth Formers' burden? 2009/03/11 Colleges will be established for STPM students, said the Education Ministry recently. But should the STPM remain at all? CHOK SUAT LING finds out SHOULD the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia examination be abolished? Sixth Formers who have anguished over the exam, which has a reputation for being mercilessly difficult, will no doubt answer in the affirmative, as would those who have observed its diminishing popularity among students. The Education Ministry, too, has mulled the prospect. But last week, it made clear that the STPM would not just remain, but be "revitalised". Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said colleges might be set up for STPM students as part of the ministry's plan "to radically transform Form Six studies and take into account the higher thinking, analytical and evaluation skills necessary to excel". To improve on an exam and keep it up with the times is certainly praiseworthy, but one enduring question that has yet to be answered adequately and authoritatively is why the STPM should remain at all. It is no longer relevant, some point out, going by the increasing number of students who choose to enrol in preuniversity programmes at private higher educational institutions. These programmes are perceived to be superior and better able to prepare students for university education. According to the principal of a secondary school in the Klang Valley, 90 per cent of her students enrol in private colleges after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. This scenario is apparently not just unique to this school. "Pre-university programmes at private colleges use the modular or semester system, and students feel it is easier for them to score good grades or pass this than the STPM, which is based on one single examination," adds the principal. "The programmes offered at private colleges also do away with non-essential subjects and prepare students directly for their intended careers." She notes that out of a batch of about 280 students, only 60 will go on to Form Six. "And even then, some will drop out when they receive offers to pursue diploma or professional courses. In the end, only about 35 students will sit the STPM." Those who go to and stay on in Form Six are the ones without any other options, therefore; they cannot afford private education, and cannot gain entry into matriculation programmes. "So we just go through with it, even though it means having to plod through a more rigorous, unforgiving and extensive syllabus," says Clarence Chee, who sat his STPM last year. "It has been said that the STPM is the most difficult pre-university examination in the world, and I don't disagree."

Calls for abolishing the STPM usually come in tandem with those urging for the scrapping of matriculation, the other mode of entry into public university, and for a common entrance examination to be introduced to replace them. That there are two systems for university entry -- the STPM and matriculation -- has been itself a source of discontentment for many years, more so since intake into public universities became merit-based in 2002. Matriculation programmes, some say, give students an unfair advantage as they are "easier". The STPM and matriculation have different evaluation procedures, as the former was affiliated with the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, while matriculation is based on course work, exams and lecturer evaluation. According to Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi, the use of STPM and matriculation as university admission qualifications should be discontinued. "They are very much subject-based." He suggests instead that universities work together and come up with a common entrance examination, "like the SAT (Standard Assessment Test) used in the United States". But doing away with the STPM and matriculation may not be entirely wise, others argue. "We should encourage educational diversity as it fosters competitiveness and creativity," says former higher education director-general Prof Dr Hassan Said. "It is critical that students be exposed to the highest standards of academic competition, and not protected from it." Hassan says there should, in fact, be more alternatives. "One that is being considered is the International Baccalaureate diploma, which is recognised as a university entrance qualification in more than 100 countries." Further, he says, both the STPM and matriculation are benchmarked against the Cambridge A-levels and are thus of the highest quality and standard. "Both are on par in terms of standards, curriculum and credit hours. It is not true that one is tougher than the other. That is a matter of perception. Besides, in recent years, the entry requirements for matriculation colleges have been relaxed to admit up to 10 per cent non-Bumiputera students." Retaining the STPM, however, does not mean that adjustments need not be made to the examination. For, unlike matriculation, which is geared towards preparing students for university, the subjects taught in Form Six are too academic, educationists say. It would be prudent to introduce more practical subjects to give students hands-on experience before they enter university. What would also be sensible is for the ministry to revisit a recommendation it made over a decade ago to standardise Malaysia's pre-university education with other countries where matriculation courses are shorter, such as Australia, Britain and Canada. This would translate into Form Six being shortened by one year, thus allowing students to enter university and the job market earlier. However, the establishment of junior colleges has been described as a move in the right direction. Proposed 10 years ago, it was put on the backburner because of funding problems. Optimistically, it now looks set to take off. As schools now do not have the facilities for pre-university education, such colleges would ensure students get a feel of university education, and life, before they set foot on campus.

By Chok Suat Ling Copyright 2009 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.