SPM results show need for Form 3 exam and streaming, says academic

 

An analysis of the 2022 SPM examination found that many students had failed in mathematics and English. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: An academic has called for the return of the Form 3 public examination and streaming for secondary school students.

Anuar Ahmad from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the lack of a common exam has led to students being reckless in choosing their streams when entering Form 4.

He made the observation based on the findings by a civil society group Untuk Malaysia on the results of the 2022 SPM examination.

More than 89,700 candidates failed in mathematics while 52,674 failed in English. A total of 373,974 candidates sat for the SPM last year

Annuar said the current school-based assessment system is unsuitable for upper secondary students because the students must be placed in streams that they can grasp instead of going by their interest in the subjects.

“If there are no examinations, they will just choose whatever streams they want to study in, even if they are weak in mathematics or English.

“Stream selections should not be based on the student’s behaviour but on academic performance, so there should be a common examination in Form 3,” he said.

On March 16, education minister Fadhlina Sidek told the Dewan Rakyat that the government has no intention of reviewing examination-based student assessment systems, including UPSR and PT3.

She said the ministry has switched to the school-based assessment system which is said to be the best approach to make education more interesting while developing the students’ potential holistically.

However, Ikatan guru-guru Muslim Malaysia president Azizee Hasan said the education ministry must explain why many students did not pass the minimum level for mathematics and English.

“We must find the source of the problem so we can intervene,” he said, adding that Putrajaya must take each year’s SPM results seriously.

“We must be worried because it has an impact on students dropping out from continuing their studies to the next level, while their opportunity in the public sector is also affected.” - FMT