Basic skills more critical than reinstating exams, says NUTP

Teachers union secretary-general Fouzi Singon says efforts to build literacy and numeracy are far more urgent than reinstating UPSR and PT3.

NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon says more than 122,000 schoolchildren have yet to master basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

PETALING JAYA:

 Reintroducing the UPSR primary school and PT3 lower secondary examinations would create more social pressure than actual improvements in learning outcomes, says the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP).

NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon told FMT that efforts to build literacy and numeracy are far more urgent than reinstating UPSR and PT3 exams. He said more than 122,000 schoolchildren have yet to master basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Fouzi Singon.

“Reinstating standardised exams does not guarantee that these problems will be solved. Primary schools need to focus on literacy and numeracy first,” said Fouzi. “Students should master these basic skills. Will UPSR achieve this? Not necessarily.

“Some parents feel proud when their child scores six As, but how do they feel when their child does not get an A? Some are even embarrassed to leave the house. This pressure does not come from the students themselves but from a culture of comparison,” he said.

He added that the education business ecosystem, including workbook publishers and tuition centres, also places an excessive emphasis on exams.

Fouzi noted that while students are still being assessed without UPSR, these assessments are not standardised. He suggested that the Malaysian Examination Council develop a uniform national assessment scheme without reviving large-scale exams.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said today her ministry will conduct a study on the need to reinstate the UPSR and PT3 examinations, acknowledging the controversy surrounding their abolition.

UPSR was abolished in 2021, while PT3 was cancelled the same year and abolished in 2022.

She added that the Cabinet will decide on the matter after the national education advisory council completes its study and submits its findings and recommendations.

In October, deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said overall Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results remained stable despite the abolition of UPSR and PT3. - FMT