SYDNEY: The Lower Secondary Assessment (PMR) for Primary 6 pupils and the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) will have new formats from 2016, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday.
He said the PMR would be a school-based assessment while the UPSR for Standard 6 pupils would have a different format.
Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the ministry would require time to implement the new evaluation systems because the students in the current systems could not be burdened with the new formats.
“If we want to improve the examinations, it will have to be as early as 2016. It will be for students who enter the systems in 2011 and whose first examinations will be in 2016,” Muhyiddin, who is on a visit to Australia, told reporters here.
He said the third and final roundtable on improvement of the systems had been completed and the ministry’s views and proposals were well-received.
“Generally, I can say that many agree that the UPSR should be retained but with improvements while the PMR should be replaced with a school-based assessment.
“The important thing is that every stage of progress of students should be evaluated,” he said.
Muhyiddin said an improvement which might be considered for the UPSR was that 60 per cent of the evaluation would be based on selected academic fields and the remaining 40 per cent on co-curriculum or civics.
He said the matter would be brought to the Cabinet and the details of the improvements would be announced once the final decision had been made.
On the replace of the PMR, he said the Examinations Syndicate would coordinate the type of examination at the school level.
“Perhaps, in about a week from now, we would make the announcement,” he said.
Muhyiddin said the improvements would further consolidate the country’s system and quality of education and it would not be seen as purely examination-oriented. —Bernama