Special 4-week assessment for new Primary 1 students

 

The programme is meant to help children whose pre-schooling was disrupted by Covid-19.

PETALING JAYA: The education ministry has announced a special four-week transitioning programme for pupils entering Primary 1 to assess their level of competence and see if they are ready to start formal education.

In a circular to schools, education director-general Nor Zamani Abdol Hamid said this was necessary because these were pre-schoolers directly affected by the Covid-19 lockdowns which forced them to attend online classes for long periods over the last two years.

Called the Year One Transition Programme 2.0, she said it is meant to help children face the challenges that may arise as a result of making the transition from home-schooling and kindergarten throughout the pandemic to formal education.

“The programme which takes effect from the first week of the academic year beginning March 21, will be carried out in two phases, each lasting for a duration of two weeks,” she said in the circular sighted by FMT.

Nor Zamani said the first phase, known as the adjustment period, will focus on socio-emotional, cognitive and physical aspects with the objective of increasing students’ self-confidence and encouraging positive social interactions.

While the second one, called the preparedness phase, aims to remedy the situation by ensuring that students possess the necessary knowledge, skills and values required for further education, she added.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) president Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim welcomed the move saying this was necessary to assess these students in order for teachers to know what level they are at and thus proceed accordingly.

“Children learn very quickly from the ages of six to seven when their propensity to absorb is at its peak. They are eager to learn and we should guide them immediately in order to quickly bridge any learning loss.”

“It is not so much the content of the programme itself that matters but rather how it is conducted to meet its targeted objective. The programme should be conducted at a quick pace and in a fun environment,” she told FMT. - FMT