KUCHING: Some parents have commended the Education Ministry’s (MoE) decision to cancel this year’s Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examinations and postpone Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, while others have raised concerns over these measures.
Engineer Calvin Chen Wei Kiong, 45, believed that MoE would be prudent and provide the best alternatives to assess students’ learning as a replacement to the cancelled UPSR and PT3 examinations.
“As for the postponement of SPM, it is fair to the students to be given ample time to go back to school, continue with their syllabus, and prepare for their examination,” he said.
On another note, he said he did not fully agree on the high focus on results of written examinations to assess students academically.
He suggested that students should be well-educated with skills, pointing out that while the SPM certificate was the key to the next academic level, in the work environment, most employers would be more interested in knowledge, experience, and professional certification courses.
“During this unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, everyone needs to change, adjust, and adapt accordingly. The same goes for students ―be flexible and focus on the goal,” he said.
Factory manager Alex Kong Yu Haw, 45, said this was a good move on the part of MoE, and a fair one as during the movement control order (MCO) period, many were caught unprepared including students, teachers, and parents alike.
“Teachers and students should take some time to prepare the curriculum and materials required for the new assessment,” he said.
He suggested that post-MCO Saturdays could be used to make up for lost time by making them school days.
Meanwhile, company secretary Lau, 46, expressed her concern that the cancellation of UPSR and PT3 may cause students to be lax in their lessons.
“When they are at a higher grade, it could be more difficult for them to catch up.”
She said that the postponement of SPM and STPM would ‘freeze’ the current situation and cause a delay in students’ graduation ― which may not be an issue for families with stable income, but may pose a problem for low-income families who needed their children to enter the workforce as soon as possible to help support the family.
“I also feel that online classes can never be as effective as classroom teaching as the teachers would not be able to monitor students’ progress or how well they understand the lesson,” she said.
However, she said this pandemic had made her realise that life is short and she no longer has high expectations on grades. “I just hope that everyone can go through this difficult time well.”
An interviewee who wished to be known as Wong said that these examination cancellations and postponements would certainly alleviate the fear of parents that their children may not be able to complete their syllabus and be ready for public examinations.
“This is the right choice and it is made to address the uncertainty of when the MCO will end,” he said.
He said MoE should come up with alternative teaching methods to ensure that students continue the learning process during the MCO. “Otherwise, weaker students will be left behind and this will affect the future progress of their studies.”
He said that with the current situation, online education had become even more important. He emphasised that relevant stakeholders in the education sector had to change their mindsets, plans and strategies to ensure they could be adapted to meet new challenges.
Hotel manager Cynthia Jee, 44, lauded MoE’s decision, saying that she felt better that her children are safe at home during the pandemic.
She said that teachers have platforms such as Whatsapp, Google Classroom, and Google Hangouts to share homework and revision with their students.
Homemaker Amelia Lim, 44, also said that teachers would have to adjust by practising more online schooling.
“As parents, we hope that our children’s grades do not deteriorate, but of course, their safety is still our first priority,” she said.
