FORM Three students who fail to get the signature of custodians of the buildings they write about for their Form Three (PT3) Sejarah Assessment will not be penalised.
This was the assurance of the Malaysian Examination Board (MEB) following the concerns of students and parents over the confusion about the guidelines for the exam project.
Its director, Datin Nawal Salleh, said students who failed to obtain the signature would not be penalised by having their marks deducted provided that they produced evidence of their visit to the building which was acceptable to the examiner.
The two-week project makes for 100 per cent of the Sejarah paper.
Students are required to visit a historical building in their locality, show proof that they were there
(by getting the signature of the
custodian or person they interviewed) and then write an essay about the building, its history, significance and present use, among others.
The deadline to submit their work is on Thursday.
Nawal said if students could not get a signature, they should provide other evidence such as a photograph of the building, structure or name.
“This is to ensure that the candidates produce original and not plagiarised work, and prove that they conducted the research themselves.
“It is enough for them to provide one of these as evidence,” she told the New Sunday Times, refuting claims that students were given contradicting instructions in each state.
The requirement for the signature saw hundreds of students in the Klang Valley crowding the National Heritage Department over the last week in an attempt to get the signature of the department director.
Many students had to go home and make return visits the following day to get the signature.
Nawal said the board will, in future, review its guidelines for the PT3 to suit various situations.
She said the deadline for the submission of their work would not be extended.
On complaints that not all localities had historical buildings, Nawal said students could refer to their teachers for advice on suitable buildings in their area which could be used as a subject matter for the project.
“Their teachers are the ones
who will be grading them, so the students should seek their advice on this.
“For example, a synagogue which is located in their housing area can be considered a historical building.
“So, the students have to be resourceful in researching the history of that religious premise,” she said.
Earlier, before the MEB’s clarification, the National Parent-Teacher Associations Consultative Council (PIBGN) said the ministry should not wait until next year to review the guidelines for the exam.
Its president, Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Ali Hassan, said immediate action should be taken in the interest of the students who may not have fulfilled the criteria set.
He said as this was the first time such an assignment was introduced, some leeway should be given to the students.
He said the ministry should have considered the number of locations that these students could go to before finalising the guidelines.
“They have to consider whether we have enough historical buildings to accommodate the number of students in each area so that they have options,” he said.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had earlier been reported as saying that a review would be carried out on the PT3 Sejarah paper.
This, he said, would include revising the guidelines and the schedule for the assignment, which is to be carried out on the first weekend after the school holidays.
“I will look at the issues raised by PIBGN and discuss them with the examination board,” he said.