Time will tell whether scrapping UPSR was a good idea

SHAH ALAM - More extensive studies were required to examine whether the Primary Schools Evaluation Tests (UPSR) should be retained or abolished, experts say.

As the UPSR exams were abolished in 2021, the decision was based on too short period for studies to determine whether the examination should have been retained.

Universiti Malaya Education Professor Tan Sri Dr T Marimuthu said it was still too early to foresee whether the abolishment of the exams would have an adverse effect on students.

"What I'm trying to say is you must be given some time for changes to the education system. Maybe two or three years for them to be effective.

"You have to give it a few years to run. At least three to four years, then examine the effect of the changes, whether the achievements are increasing or declining,” he said.

He further suggested one of the factors that needed to be considered was that students’ achievements dropped when there was no UPSR examination.

"However, as of now what's the best way forward is to let it go for a while and study the effect of whether scrapping the UPSR was a good thing or not,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia's (PAGE) Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim suggested that the Education Ministry cannot afford another flip flop decision.

"We prefer that UPSR be scrapped as formative assessments are still ongoing keeping students on their toes.

"Assessments are regular and consistent and there is less pressure on teachers, students and parents too to perform at their optimum at the end of the academic year,” she said.

For Noor Azimah, what’s better for the students is the school-based assessments.

She further advised to leave the education matters to educators who know better and hoping the Education Ministry to not succumb to the whims of politicians that intended to politicise education.