Academics back the Education Ministry’s study on reviving UPSR and PT3 exams but call for major reforms to reduce stress and improve learning.
KUALA LUMPUR: Academics have welcomed the Education Ministry’s move to study reviving national examinations for primary and lower secondary students.
They suggest significant reforms to prevent past issues of excessive stress and teaching purely for the test.
Senior lecturer Dr Yap Soon Li said reintroducing UPSR and PT3 should be seen as a systematic realignment, not a step backwards.
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“In many international education systems, assessment reform is cyclical, not linear,” he told Bernama.
He noted the exams previously provided useful national benchmarks for literacy and numeracy.
Their main weakness was an overly exam-oriented approach that encouraged ‘teaching to the test’.
Yap stressed that any revived exams must combine system monitoring with support for continuous student development.
Exam questions should focus on higher-order thinking skills and real-world application, he said.
Results should be integrated with school-based assessments for a holistic student evaluation.
“Centralised examinations should function as diagnostic tools for the system, not as the sole determinant of student success,” he said.
He highlighted the need for systematic teacher training on interpreting and using exam data.
Dr Anuar Ahmad said reintroducing the exams is appropriate for measuring achievement at each schooling level.
He noted the current school-based assessment system faces challenges like large class sizes.
Anuar cautioned against repeating past mistakes where exams fostered unhealthy competition.
“UPSR and PT3 should serve as tools to identify students’ achievement levels after a period of learning,” he said.
The goal is to provide early support for struggling students before they progress, he added.
There is no need to announce top-performing schools based solely on exam results, he stated.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the National Education Advisory Council is studying the need to revive the exams.
UPSR was abolished in 2021 and PT3 in 2022, both replaced by school-based assessment. – Bernama
