KUCHING: The curriculum at teacher training institutes (IPGs) should be reviewed and re-adjusted in line with current developments if we want to transform the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) system and certification.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) deputy vice chancellor Prof Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman pointed this out when commenting on the Malaysian Examinations Board’s move to transform the SPM format.
According to him, the relevant parties should evaluate and implement new methods in the evaluation of secondary school examinations because the existing system may no longer be relevant with the current developments.
“There is no intention to downplay the existing education system, but the system, which was created 57 years ago, should be adapted to current developments.
“Therefore, education policy makers should also immediately organise strategies to highlight new ideas and concepts in student assessment, which currently need to follow online teaching and learning.
“At the same time, teachers also need to be given training to further improve their skills in online teaching,” he explained.
Further elaborating, Mohd Fadzil said the ‘honeymoon year’, which is synonymous among Form 4 students, should be eliminated by implementing continuous examinations concepts.
Thus, he added SPM is no longer considered as an absolute test, which will determine the actual achievement of students, as the concept of 3M (Receiving, Memorising, Expressing) is somewhat less relevant.
“Students need to be nurtured with education based on research as well as problem solving to build creativity and innovation in teaching and learning.
“Maybe some will dispute this statement because some of those mentioned have already been implemented such as higher order thinking skills.
“However, its implementation at the school level so far may not have met the requirements due to the lack of exposure and guidance from the teachers themselves,” stressed the Unimas deputy vice chancellor.
