KUCHING, April 29: UPSR or the Primary School Achievement Test is not necessary at primary school level, opines Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
Responding to the announcement by Senior Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Mohd Jidin yesterday that Malaysia will abolish Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) from 2021 onwards, Fatimah said it is also applies regardless whether or not there is disruption of learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What is most critical is not assessment of learning or summative assessment conducted at the national level.
“The emphasis should be on formative assessment, placing assessment for learning as the basis of improving the teaching and learning processes,” she said in a statement.
Fatimah added that at primary school level, continuous assessment conducted by school teachers together with psychometric tests will provide the school and parents with enough education-based and social data which are useful for programme or curriculum development purposes, tailored to the needs of these students.
In his announcement, Mohd Radzi said with the UPSR abolished, the assessment method for Primary 6 students will focus on strengthening school-based assessments.
He added that the Form Three Assessment (PT3) will also be cancelled for this year after taking into account the time needed for students to prepare for it amidst the Covid-19 situation in the country which has shortened the face-to-face learning time frame for students. — DayakDaily
