Abolish UPSR to reduce pressure on students, says teachers’ union

The NUTP says abolishing UPSR will change the perception that ‘A’ is a benchmark to gauge a student’s quality. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has called for the abolition of the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) taken by Year 6 students, 33 years after it was introduced to replace the Standard 5 Assessment.

The union said UPSR is unnecessary, and adds more pressure on students.

“Abolishing the UPSR will reduce the pressure on students and change the perception of some members of the public who regarded ‘A’ as a benchmark to gauge the quality of a student,” its secretary-general, Harry Tan, said in a statement.

He, however, said that doing away with the examination did not mean that students will not be evaluated, especially when it comes to a spot in a boarding school.

“They can be assessed through tests set by their respective schools and not based on a nationwide examination,” he said.

Tan said NUTP was prepared to assist the education ministry in improving the mechanism for grading students.

He said the union was in favour of doing away with the examination when the plan was first announced by former education minister Mahdzir Khalid in 2016. Mahdzir had said a decision would be made the following year.

Until today, Tan said, the ministry has remained silent on the matter. - FMT