KUCHING: Starting next year, the Education Ministry has decided that students in Primary 1 to Primary 3 should experience the joy of learning and will not be sitting for mid-year and end-of-year exams.
The students will be exposed to Classroom-based Assessment (PBD) as a continuous assessment that will take place during the teaching and learning sessions.
Veronica Nohan, a teacher from Miri who is teaching Primary 1 to 3, said the implementation of PBD was a good move as it would refer to various aspects to be assessed by teachers and educators which could show the students’ development as a whole.
“Through fun-learning activities and teaching, teachers are able to grasp the level of understanding and development of each student from the aspects of physical, emotional, spiritual, intelligence, cognitive, psychomotor and affection.
“The strengths and weaknesses of each student can be identified thoroughly and this will help teachers to plan strategies to improve and help the students as well as to overcome any learning difficulties in the early stage,” she said when interviewed yesterday.
Veronica, who is also a mother to a Primary 3 student next year, added that she would be delighted if PBD was successfully implemented as it could help her to understand her children’s learning abilities.
“I would also be able to guide them if I have knowledge of their interest. PBD has a positive effect for everyone. Hopefully, there would be strong cooperation between schools, teachers and parents to ensure the students’ participation in learning,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Cynthia Jee, who is a mother of three with a daughter entering Primary 3 next year, agreed with the new implementation by the ministry.
“Early education should focus on fun learning. Children below 10 years old should be guided and taught on manners, compassion instead of judging them based on their knowledge through exam,” she said.
She added students could be introduced to fun-learning activities such as cooking, helping with house chores, gardening and most importantly respecting their elders.
“The present generation are already exposed to various gadgets at a very young age so it is vital for education to guide them in character building,” said Cynthia.
As a mother of five, Stephenie Lim said it was indeed a good move as she had witnessed her son struggling with exams.
“I see my son struggling when it comes to examination. Their exams seemed to be harder compared to his elder siblings’ time.
“Although he will only experience PBD for one year, it is good for my son to enjoy his studies in class without having to stress about exams from a young age.
“In addition, he can also learn more on moral values and character building in school aside from at home,” she said.
However, 25-year-old Katiey expressed her disagreement with the implementation.
The full-time housewife said, “I prefer my child to sit for exams. From the exam, I can know how well my child is doing in the subject that he learns in school.
“If he is not good in the subject, we can help him to improve at home,” she said.
