THE PROPOSAL TO ABOLISH THE (UPSR) AND (PMR) EXAMINATIONS NEEDS CAREFUL AND THOROUGH STUDY AS IT HAS GREAT IMPLICATIONS ON THE COUNTRY'S EDUCATION SYSTEM, - MASIDI

Call For Careful Study Of Proposal To Abolish UPSR, PMR Exams

KOTA KINABALU, June 21 (Bernama) -- The proposal to abolish the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations needs careful and thorough study as it has great implications on the country's education system, Sabah Education Committee chairman Datuk Masidi Manjun said on Monday.

Masidi, who is Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, told Bernama: "We need to look seriously (into the matter) and analyse our entire education system to find the strengths and weaknesses so that we are in a better position to determine the correct direction of changes and innovation, and vocational marketability is just one issue."

He was asked to comment on the statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday that the UPSR and PMR examinations might be abolished as part of government efforts to restructure the learning system which was seen as too examination-oriented and having failed to provide a holistic education.

"I applaud the deputy prime minister's effort to improve the education system of the country. But, by the same token, I sincerely believe that any change would have to start with the mindset of policy makers, teachers and those responsible for the development of schools in the country," Masidi said.

He said: "Any change can only be successful if they themselves change the way they see their proper role in the system.

"For instance, the managerial capacity and quality of educationists and policy makers would have to be upgraded before any real change can take place.

"We should also be mindful of the fact that we are part of the global community and any change would have to address the issue of global acceptance of our new education system," he said.

Masidi said the deputy prime minister himself admitted that the government would solicit public feedback before making a decision on the matter.

He said that in the case of Sabah, the most pertinent issue was provision of basic learning infrastructure, especially in the rural areas.

"We not only need schools with good basic facilities like proper classrooms and hostels but we need competent teachers to teach strategic subjects like Mathematics, Science and English.

"A student can only do well in upper secondary education if he has the privilege of going through his early education with all the education aids available at his disposal. In other words, his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results depend on the quality of education he has gone through in the preceding 10 years of his schooling," he said.