PT3 replaces PMR: Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Beginning this year, the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) or lower secondary assessment examination, will be replaced with the Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) or Form 3 Assessment, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, said through the implementation of improvements in the School-Based Assessment (SBA) on April 1, there would no longer be any centralised examination for Form 3 students implemented at the school level.
“PT3 replaces PMR. There is some form of assessment at the school level,” he added.
He said PT3 would be used as the basis to determine the entry of students into Form 4 in fully residential schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama, Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM), including Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMT), and vocational colleges.
“Besides PT3, entry into these schools will also be based on the psychometric test to ensure that the selection and emplacement of students suited their capability and interest,” he told a press conference at Parliament House here today.
He said the abolishing of the current online centralised system for SBA, which required teachers to key in students’ records, would reduce the workload of teachers.
“It had been pointed out that it was a burden for teachers to key in online all important data into a centralised system. Now, this is not necessary,” he said, adding that teachers could enter the data at their own time based on their workload.
Teachers can keep the data for their own assessment and produce it to update parents on the students’ progress.
“The school can prepare a performance report, by holding monthly tests, mid-year examination or final-year examination,” he added.
The SBA system was introduced to primary school pupils in 2011 and extended to secondary school students in 2012.
However, the system was seen to be pressuring teachers and led to a protest by the Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia last month.