KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry's proposal to scrap Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) exams has received mixed reactions. Educationist Datuk Rasammah Bhupalan said the suggestion must be studied carefully.
"Any replacement of UPSR and PMR in the form of school-based assessments demands serious thought and a study by all educational institutions.
"This is a decision that will affect every student. So, parents must be allowed to give their input, too."
Bhupalan, who is founder president of the Women Teachers Union of the Federation of Malaya, said failure to achieve a holistic approach to learning should not be blamed solely on exams.
"Don't put the blame on exams because exams are the ones that enhance the momentum and potential of each school, teacher and student.
"Lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities needs to be studied vis-a-vis the total student population and facilities of each school."
At present, she said facilities were lacking in schools.
"If there are 1,500 students in a single session, how many of them can actually be involved in co-curricular programmes? So, don't blame the exams."
Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim shares Bhupalan's views.
Noor Azimah said she was not in favour with the proposal as UPSR and PMR exams had been "the national assessments for years".
"The only thing that needs to be done is to monitor the students effectively. The exams have been a successful benchmark for our education system all these years."
Instead, the government should look at revamping the contents of the curriculum to promote active student participation in sports.
She said UPSR and PMR exams were in line with the National Key Result Areas in achieving the Key Performance Indicator targets.
Instead, "internal exams" should be dropped to ease the pressure on students.
Read more: Some not gung-ho about scrapping exams http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/6aie/Article/#ixzz0rZVWIcc4
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