PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has joined in the criticism on the sudden announcement on the scrapping of the UPSR for Year Six students, saying that open discussions and debates should have been held first with stakeholders.
Anwar, who was education minister in the late 1980s, said his ministry at that time would hold discussions with parents, teachers and educationists, among others, before making any major decision.
“There were a lot of open discussions and debates with various stakeholders, including the community, to avoid any negative impact,” he said on the sidelines of an event at Port Dickson.
“However, this time, there seems to have been no discussion,” he said, adding that a policy was not only about the minister and a handful of education experts but should also involve teachers and others.
The decision has received mixed reaction from stakeholders, wiith some in support while others have objected to the “last minute” scrapping of the exam.
Anwar was also asked about de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s statement that the Election Commission (EC) should be given space and time to implement the automatic voter registration and Undi18 (lowering the voting age to 18) initiatives.
The Port Dickson MP said Undi18 had been approved in Parliament almost two years ago and “there is no link with what the minister had said as EC was instructed to prepare (for Undi18)”. The amendment was passed in July 2019.
“If EC could not prepare it on time, they should give the responsibility to capable people.
“They have had more than enough time to manage Undi18 which was approved unanimously by Parliament,” he said.
Takiyuddin had said various procedures were involved before Undi18 could be implemented, including dealing with National Registration Department (JPN). He said EC also faced problems over addresses of the voters. - FMT
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