By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, July 6: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing believed that universities should not be lowering the assessment grades for students in order to accommodate the passing level.
He agreed with University College of Technology Sarawak’s (UCTS) vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Ab Hamid who recently pleaded with universities not to lower the course assessment grades of students due to Covid-19.
“What Prof Khairuddin of UCTS said is correct. We must put the obstacles created by Covid-19 pandemic as the challenge to build better students and not as an excuse to lower our will and skills so the students can pass the exams.
“If we do, we are only fooling ourselves. Obstacles in life do not accommodate to human physical abilities. We as humans must accommodate ourselves to physical challenges,” he said in a statement.
Masing, who is Infrastructure and Ports Development Minister, was responding to Khairuddin’s comment on universities which are looking to lower grades in order to get students to pass their examinations.
He believed passing an examination which is an obstacle in life will still be there even though the Covid-19 pandemic is contained.
Masing said universities should strive to maintain their quality and standard of education in order to attract students into the institutions of higher learning.
He opined that in life, there will always be challenges from time to time and students should prove their worth by rising up to the challenges. —DayakDaily
