IF this were 1994, Year Six pupils might have just re-sat their Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) papers without much thought to the reason behind the changes. But, this is 2014, and their first introduction to ABC is not ‘Apple’, ‘Bear’ and ‘Cherry’ any more, but ‘Android’, ‘Blackberry’ and ‘Computer’. They are smart and their minds are governed by curiosity, and this time, it doesn’t kill the cat. It kills us, the adults. News that UPSR candidates need to re-sit their exam due to a leak has left more than 470,000 candidates feeling disappointed and de-motivated. It is clearly our concern to bring the perpetrators to justice but shouldn’t we also worry about how the children perceive us now?
At home, these children are constantly reminded by their parents about the dos and don’ts. Their teachers teach them discipline, morality and attitude at school. They visit their grandparents just to receive more advice about the importance of education and good values. The community also motivates them to keep dreaming big for their future.
The damage has been done and these innocent children have to suffer from it. Power has been abused. Children may think that we don’t practise what we preach, and they will lose faith in us.
Your front-page headline, “Preserve exam integrity” (New Sunday Times, Sept 14) showed a 12-year-old girl who felt victimised following the leaked UPSR English and Science exam papers, and who thus lodged a police report.
She represents other 12-year-olds who find it hard to feign their emotion, knowing that their future is not taken seriously by some irresponsible people. It is upsetting that some of us fail to maintain our accountability and integrity, and that is a point to ponder.
If this issue is repeated, chances are our eloquent speech on instilling positive values will not work that well any more. By all means, we should all adhere to the ethical principles and standards of our profession.
Muhamad Solahudin Ramli, Marang, Terengganu