PUTRAJAYA – Preliminary findings from engagement sessions held by the Education Ministry (MoE) indicate that stakeholders felt that the Year 6 Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) should not be reintroduced at this point as it would hinder students from being active in non-academic fields.
Education Director-General Datuk Pkharuddin Ghazali said findings from engagement sessions showed that Malaysians wished for value-based education to be prioritised.
“When we held engagement sessions, we asked pupils, parents and leaders. They were unanimous in stating that UPSR should not be revived currently as it would block primary school students’ ability to be active in other fields as we focus on the academic,” he told reporters after the MoE Inspiration Talk programme here today.
He was commenting on Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s statement on October 28 that the ministry would not revive UPSR even with requests, especially from parents, wanting it to be reintroduced as a benchmark for their children’s academic achievements at primary school level.
The test was abolished from 2021 after engagement sessions with various stakeholders by the government following its cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The “Anak Yang Baik lagi Cerdik” (a child who is kind and smart) concept, which would create knowledgeable human capital with good moral values, will ensure character building at the early stages of a child’s schooling period. This is important in developing a generation capable of dealing with the challenges of a borderless world, Pkharuddin said.
“We aren’t saying that exams are not good, but at this point, character building and instilling values in students are more of a priority for current challenges.
“In a world without borders, they learn so quickly from handheld gadgets, but there are no values in them,” he said, adding that students can be exposed to various activities, including sports, robotics and cultural competitions. – November 3, 2023