KUCHING: Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) is recommending that candidates for the 2020 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, be allowed to focus on core subjects this year.
KGBS president Ahmad Malie said in view of the education new norm, he hoped that there would not be a long examination schedule to meet SPM requirements but to allow candidates to focus on main subjects – Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, Science and History.
“Make these subjects as basis and benchmark to determine the eligibility of students to continue their studies, supported by the classroom assessment (PBD) on other subjects if necessary,” he said here today.
Ahmad was responding to Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s proposal to do away with the SPM examination in view of the pandemic.
“While we respect Chong’s views, we do not agree with the proposal. We feel that the SPM examination still needs to be implemented as a final screening before students continue their studies after completing the SPM,” Ahmad said.
He was confident that the Ministry of Education (MoE) had identified initial steps in complying with standard operating procedure before the SPM examination is implemented later.
“Having said that, in the face of the new norm resulting from the pandemic, KGBS also suggests that the MoE ensure that the SPM examination be transformed accordingly to suit the situation.”
In the new norm, he stressed that the method of execution as well as the number of subjects to be tested should be reviewed.
“We hope our suggestion will be considered by the MoE.”
