NUTP disagrees with holding students back a grade

 

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has shot down proposals to hold students back a grade next year.

Social media users mooted the idea after the Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted teaching and learning during the 2020 school year.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, NUTP president Aminuddin Awang opined that preventing students from graduating to the next year level will have compounding negative effects.

“It is highly irrelevant to hold students back a grade. If Standard One students are held back, what about children who are aged six years old this year? Do they have to remain in kindergarten?

“If this happens, (the effects) will compound. We need to think about whether our classrooms have the strength to (adapt).

“If we want to hold back this year’s Form Five students to March 2021, the Education Ministry has to halt enrolment for Form Two and Form Three students,” he said when contacted.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin previously announced that all schools will need to halt face-to-face classes for the rest of the year but continue with home-based learning.

This decision was made after an almost nationwide conditional movement control order (MCO) resulted in closures of 74 percent of schools. Only four states - Sarawak, Kelantan, Pahang and Perlis - remain unaffected by the order.

Face-to-face classes for most school levels are slated to resume on Jan 20 next year.

Form Two and Form Three students, meanwhile, will begin the 2021 school year from home before returning to school for in-person classes on March 8.

Elaborating, Aminuddin said the NUTP had yet to form an opinion on the efficacy of home-based learning.

“It is still new and we have not evaluated its effectiveness. But it is unfair to pit face-to-face learning against home-based learning when we have no choice under Covid-19.

“Should we re-open schools amidst the Covid-19 situation just because we think this learning method is ineffective? Of course not.

“What we need to do is improve on existing weaknesses (of home-based learning),” he opined.  - Mkini