Sarawak to develop its own Year 6 assessment system

 

The Sarawak government is working on its own Year Six assessment system for public schools, similar to the defunct Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) examination, said State Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

"This is because we believe that is the only way for us to know our pupils' true performance," he told reporters yesterday, according to Borneo Post.

Sagah (above) said this was necessary in order to determine whether students should be placed in arts or science streams in secondary school.

"Let the federal government stick to its policy, but at the same time, let the state carry out its own assessment system," he said.

UPSR and Form Three Assessment (PT3) was abolished in 2021 during the Muhyiddin Yassin-led administration although Putrajaya decided during the Najib Abdul Razak administration in 2011.

The goal of abolishing these tests was to do away with standardised testing in favour of school-based assessments. The only standardised tests for government schools are Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM).

Autonomy in setting education policies was among the matters currently being handled by Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Technical Committee. The Education Act 1996 has centralised education matters in Putrajaya.

In August, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek noted that autonomy in education for Sarawak would still take time. She was also not in favour of reinstating UPSR.

Meanwhile, Sagah said his ministry has not received any information regarding the 2027 curriculum being developed by Putrajaya. - Mkini