KUCHING: The Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) fully supports Sarawak’s plan to introduce its own assessment examination for Year 6 pupils in government schools.
President Zulkiflee Sebli said teachers and public have been raising their concern about the lack of standardised tools to measure the children’s performance at the primary school level since the abolishment of Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in 2021.
He said the current classroom-based assessments would not truly reflect an individual’s progress, especially in a classroom with a bigger number of students.
“In addition, teachers are required to do various analyses as it (classroom-based assessment) has to be a comprehensive assessment that is continuous and personalised for each student,” he told New Sarawak Tribune today (Nov 2).
“Therefore, we are looking forward to having an assessment (similar to UPSR) to know how the children are progressing after six years of primary school, otherwise, it is quite difficult to decide what’s next for the children.”
Some parents, he said, also complained that their children were less motivated to learn and study as there is no major national exam as their end-goal or target after UPSR was removed.
Zulkiflee hoped the Sarawak government will look into creating such an assessment for Form 3 students for the sake of the children and education competitiveness.
“I believe that if the proposal of having Sarawak’s own UPSR-like assessment becomes a reality; it will definitely motivate both teachers and students to thrive for excellence in school. We hope it can materialise soon.”
On Tuesday, Sarawak Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister, Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said Sarawak is working to create its own assessment examination for Year 6 students in government schools.
He said this aimed at providing them with the necessary guidance to make well-informed choices between science and arts streams as they progress to secondary school.
Sarawak, he said, will make efforts to have its own assessment system. “This is because we believe that is the only way for us to know our pupils’ true performance.”
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has also responded, saying that the ministry is open for discussions with the Sarawak government and state education department on the matter.
Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek, expressed her support for such a decision since it is aligned with the ministry’s direction, which focuses on holistic assessment rather than examinations.
