There is justification for reinstating UPSR and PT3 examinations, says Mahdzir

KUALA LUMPUR: There is justification for reinstating the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) exams, which were abolished in 2022, says former Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

He stated that these examinations had previously proven to be a core element in student development.

“I believe that both the UPSR and PT3 exams have their own value and have been important components in our education system for a long time. Therefore, I see a valid reason to reinstate these exams as they have been a core aspect of student development, as we desire for the future generation of our country,” he said in a statement.

He was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement during the 78th MIC General Assembly at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) Shah Alam yesterday, regarding the suggestion to overhaul the examination system for Year 6 in primary schools and Form 3 in secondary schools.

Further commenting, Mahdzir said that the abolition of UPSR and PT3 by Senior Minister of Education Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin in 2022 was done hastily and without thorough research.

He noted that the replacement of these exams with Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah (PBD) and Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah (PBS) has affected the true assessment of students’ achievement levels.

Thus, he said, Ahmad Zahid’s suggestion should be positively considered by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, as the effects of the abolition of UPSR and PT3 are becoming apparent with issues such as the 10,177 candidates for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) last year being affected by problems in reading, writing, and arithmetic (3M).

“I find that the PBD and PBS assessment methods do not accurately reflect students’ true abilities compared to examination-based assessments.

“I also think these assessment methods have added extra burdens on class teachers,” he said.

Mahdzir added that there have been voices from parents dissatisfied with the implementation of PBD and PBS, which have affected their children’s chances of entering full-time residential schools (SBP) or Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM).

“I also observe that the level of competition and dedication among Year 6 students in primary schools and Form 3 students has diminished in the absence of specific exams like UPSR and PT3. Previously, students and learners were in a highly competitive and dedicated environment to achieve success.

“Similarly, parents were more motivated to see their children succeed through these exams by paying closer attention to their children’s learning as they prepared for the examinations,” he said.

For the record, UPSR was introduced in 1988 with its primary aim being 4M: reading, writing, arithmetic, and reasoning.

Meanwhile, PT3 was implemented in 2014 to replace the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination.