CORONAVIRUS | Amid prolonged school shutdowns throughout the movement control order (MCO) period, former education minister Mahdzir Khalid said schools should not be pressured to finish the year's original syllabus.
Instead, Mahdzir said school-based or central examinations should take into account the number of days spent on teaching and learning, as well as the amount of syllabus that could be covered in the available time.
He said this in welcoming a reported proposal for the Education Ministry to realign this year's school calendar.
"I agree if the school calendar is changed, there is a need to recalculate the days spent on teaching and learning in 2020.
"How much of the syllabus can be covered for each subject this year based on the number of days," he said.
With the new number of days and estimated syllabus to be completed, Mahdzir said the ministry could set new dates for the examinations.
"There is no need to finish the 2020 syllabus for all subjects.
"The Examination Board must be given the opportunity to propose several options of the right time to hold examinations," said Mahdzir.
He added that the Education Ministry should provide the public with its future outlook for students affected by Covid-19.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that the Education Ministry is expected to amend all major examination dates, in line with the government's decision to extend the MCO and postpone re-opening of schools amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Malaysiakini understands that the Year 6 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Form 3 PT3 examinations will be postponed for several months.
A similar postponement was also proposed for the written Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM, Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) Semester 3 and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
Sources, however, said the final decision would lie in the hands of the cabinet.
When contacted, National Parents Teachers Association president Mohamad Ali Hassan voiced support for amendments made to the schooling days and examination dates.
"We fully support the government's move [...] and we propose that the Education Ministry continue planning the teaching and learning process via online, as well as through television and radio," he said.
At the same time, Umno Youth exco member Mustafa Shah Abdul Hamid also urged the government to focus on children in rural areas, including in Orang Asli communities, to ensure that they are left behind.
He said this was as children in the rural areas and the Orang Asli community are less likely to take part in e-learning due to limited internet access.
Earlier today, former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching had raised similar concerns on a possible digital divide with the move to more home-based e-learning.
The Kulai MP had cited an example where Singapore's education ministry provided 3,300 devices and more than 200 dongles for Internet access for its students, as well as a clear study guideline. - Mkini
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