KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry announced today that the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) will be abolished from this year.
Senior Minister (Education) Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin also said that the Form Three Assessment (PT3) for this year has been cancelled.
Speaking at a Press conference today, he said the decision to cancel PT3 was made after taking into account the time available for the students to prepare for the exam, especially related to face-to-face teaching and learning at schools.
"Furthermore, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country is not fully contained yet," he said.
He said without PT3, the assessment for students would be similar to last year; via classroom-based assessment (PBD), physical activity, sports and curriculum assessment (PAJSK), and psychometric assessment (PSI).
"As for admission to boarding schools (Form 4 in 2022), the students can sit for the Pentaksiran Kemasukan Murid ke Sekolah Khusus (PKSK)."
PT3 was also cancelled last year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Meanwhile, Radzi said following the cancellation of UPSR last year, the ministry had looked into how assessment methods were implemented at primary schools in other countries.
"Based on that, we then proceed with thorough engagement sessions with the stakeholders, namely headmasters, teachers, the Parent-Teacher Associations, students, and related associations, involving more than 1,700 participants nationwide.
"We received various feedback and input which benefited the ministry on the way forward for UPSR.
"As such, we have decided for UPSR to be abolished completely starting this year," he said.
Radzi said as there would be no UPSR, the ministry would look into empowering PBD further.
"Admission into the boarding schools for Form 1 (2022) will also be made via PKSK."
He said in line with the abolishment of UPSR, the Primary School Alternative Assessment (PASR) for special needs students would also be abolished.
On the outcome of the engagement sessions with the stakeholders, Radzi said many teachers gave feedback that much emphasis was given on subjects for the examination.
"The teachers said that they had to rush to finish the syllabus to focus on 'latih tubi' (exercises through workbooks) for UPSR subjects.
"They also recounted how they had to steal time from other subjects to prepare for UPSR subjects and this curbed the teachers' creativity in order to make lessons more fun for the students."
On feedback from parents, Radzi said many of them felt the pressure to prepare their children for the examination.
"This includes sending them for tuition classes as early as Standard One.
"As for students, many of them were pressured to do well and achieve 6As and so on," he said.
He added that many of the students also found UPSR merely as a component for them to get placement at boarding schools."
Radzi said when the PKSK was implemented last year for admission to the boarding schools, only one-fourth of the last year's Standard Six students sat for the test.