KUCHING: Educators are generally in favour of the cancellation of this year’s Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examinations as well as the postponement of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
St Joseph’s Private School principal Father Francis Lim said the movement control order (MCO) period was a difficult time for students and teachers to catch up with the syllabus.
He said that many students from both government and private schools faced various issues such as lack of computers or good internet connection for effective online learning, which would cause them to get left behind in their studies.
“If these were not tackled by the Education Ministry, those who got left behind in their studies due to lack of diligence and/or lack of equipment would not do well in their exams,” he told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
He said school teachers also had similar challenges as many were back in their villages where internet was bad or non-existent.
English teacher Lina Chong Siaw Hoon, 69, felt that cancellations and postponements of examinations were inevitable. Still, she questioned Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin’s remark that the assessment of students would not be affected as it could be done using a new method.
“How long would it take? How ready are the teachers to use such a system?” she asked.
Nevertheless, she was encouraged that educators nationwide had risen up to the challenge of teaching through different platforms during the MCO to keep students engaged.
“A short-term solution would require the MoE to recognise the role of these people at the grassroots level and use us to keep the wheel turning for our future generations while they formulate long-term plans,” she said.
She suggested that online examinations and open examinations where students can refer to their textbooks should be the way forward.
“Online examinations have their merits. As long as the internet is robust, every student can sit for their examinations at their convenience,” she said, adding that open examinations required honesty and trust.
Chong said it was undeniable that teaching approaches be revamped, especially when facing the current situation.
She also said that students might be psychologically affected during these trying times and teachers should be sensitive to this and refer to their parents for feedback.
A secondary school teacher, Linda Bunchong, 27, said that the examination cancellations and postponements would relieve students of a lot of stress and worries, especially those whose courses and projects were unfinished due to the MCO.
“Teachers have to be ready to adapt to or adjust for new methods of teaching or assessments for their students,” she said.
She observed that many teachers had been doing their best to deliver their lessons online through applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Google Classroom.
James, a teacher at SMK St Joseph, supported the MoE’s decision, arguing that it would give students more time to study for their examinations.
“It is a challenging time, but we are coping. I have daily online lessons for my students. They even asked me to conduct classes every day, which is positive,” he said, adding that the students’ willingness to learn greatly motivated him.
Secondary school teacher, Linda Dana, 33, said that the safety of students and examination candidates must be prioritised as they constituted the next generation of leaders.
“If the MCO goes beyond a certain length of time, teachers and students would not be able to complete their syllabuses,” she said.
Intern teachers, Alya Anisah, commended the MoE’s decision, but still believe that some students might find it difficult to focus on preparations for their exams due to various disruptions, unexpected changes, unfamiliar circumstances and hardships.
