The Ministry of Education (MOE) will not be reinstating the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and Form Three Assessment (PT3) anytime soon, according to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
The exams, which were abolished in 2022, remain discontinued as the ministry upholds its previous decision.
MOE says UPSR & PT3 will stay abolished
During a recent press conference after MOE’s Monthly Assembly, Fadhlina explained that any proposal to bring back UPSR and PT3 would require a thorough review, considering various aspects of the education system.
“We need to view the matter comprehensively. It’s not something that can be assessed from just one angle.
Our children are not lab rats that we can experiment on, introducing exams one moment and removing them the next,” Fadhlina stated, emphasising the need for a more thoughtful approach.
The minister was responding to recent calls from various parties, including former Minister of Education Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, to reinstate both exams, reported Utusan Malaysia.
Students struggle with 3M
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had also suggested that education policies concerning exams for Year 6 and Form 3 students be revisited.
He highlighted concerns over students struggling with basic literacy and numeracy skills, commonly referred to as 3M (reading, writing, and arithmetic).
Fadhlina assured that the proposal to reconsider the exams would be discussed at a Cabinet meeting.
However, she stressed that KPM is already taking steps to strengthen the classroom-based assessment system (PBD), which has been enhanced with additional teacher training to ensure the progress of students aligns with the National Education Philosophy.
“The emphasis at KPM is to ensure that any decisions made do not negatively impact the development of our children,” she said.
“We are focusing on broader reforms, particularly the 2027 School Curriculum and the new Education Development Plan.”
The minister also noted that the reintroduction of UPSR is part of the ongoing engagement sessions related to the new Education Development Plan.
UPSR was first introduced in 1988 with a core focus on the 4M (reading, writing, arithmetic, and reasoning), while PT3 replaced the Lower Secondary Assessment (PMR) in 2014.
Both exams were scrapped in 2022 as part of reforms aimed at modernising the Malaysian education system.
