SEDAR Institute in collaboration with Wawasan Open University hosted a roundtable discussion on ‘UPSR & PMR: Retain, Revamp or Rid?” on 22nd July 2010.

The objective of the event was an open discussion with a wide variety of knowledgeable and informed individuals from the education and related sectors about the government’s plans to abolish the UPSR & PMR exams and replace them with a school-based exam system. It hoped to dissect, discuss and debate the key issues while considering the wider themes such as overall objectives, policy and philosophy as well as examining the various ‘facts and fictions’ regarding this debate.

Opening Speeches

Mr. U. K. Memon Deputy Vice Chancellor (Strategy, Planning and Continuing Education) of Wawasan Open University:
• Education in Malaysia is undergoing major transformation across  borders.
• Specific policies mentioned in the 10th Malaysia plan and New  Economic Model were;
   o raising the level of local schools to international levels and targets;
   o uplifting the teaching profession as a whole, i.e. making teaching a profession of choice by improving 
      training, selection of teachers, salary package and incentives;
   o involvement of the private sector particularly at primary and secondary level;
   o above all making schools accountable for outcomes.
• He emphasized that when deliberating schooling, the most important issue is the teaching of our children.

Senator Kohilan Pillay, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs:
• Education was at the centre of economic growth and a key component   in achieving developed country  
  status.
• Believes the UPSR and PMR should be abolished and replaced with   district level exams or equivalent
  exams.
• Pros and cons to abolishing the PMR and UPSR exams must be   considered before a final decision made
  by the Ministry of   Education.
• Pros: it was part of the government’s efforts to restructure the   education system which was too exam
  orientated and had failed to   provide a holistic education.
• Cons: the UPSR provides a milestone between primary and secondary   education and helps to place
  students and thus helps to motivate     them. It is very relevant to the current education system so 
  unless the whole system is revamped there has to be an equivalent   assessment exam to replace the
  UPSR and PMR if they are abolished.
• Hoped the government will take into consideration the feedback from   the roundtable discussion and to
  give enough time to the Ministers   to implement any new systems of policies effectively.

Mementoes were given to the panelists and photographs taken.

Panel Discussion
An esteemed set of panelists from a variety of backgrounds in the education sector gave their views on the subject.

Moderator Prof. Dr Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Dean, School of Education, Languages and Communications, Wawasan Open University:
• Number of people here showed the level of interest and concern as parents and Malaysians at the progress
  of the education system.
• Preliminary opening speeches and discussions show concern about current exam orientated structure of the
  education system - peoples’ achievements tend to be only measured through the number of A’s or F’s a
  person has.
• Surely we should bear in mind the young people at school when considering these policies.

Dr Jamil Adimin, Ministry of Education:
• Government was still listening to public ideas.
• Agreed the education system was very exam orientated.
• Malaysia can learn from other countries:
   o Australia abandoned primary level exams fifty years ago.
   o Finland has never had a public exam at primary to secondary level – all school-based assessment.
   o New Zealand – no public exams at primary or secondary level.
   o ASEAN – Singapore and Thailand the only countries with public examination at primary level.
• Noted that exams should promote and improve learning more than the grading of students.
• Government was looking for a more holistic, integrated, standards based, low stake education system.
• Important for assessment at primary level to not be high stake.
• Stressed exams FOR learning not OF learning.
• School-based exams promote intrinsic motivation, public exams promote extrinsic motivation.

Prof. Dr. Fatimah Hashim, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Education, University Malaya:
• Not the future of UPSR or PMR but rather the future of our young generation.
• Out of retain, revamp or rid, choose REVIEW.
• National exams do not help the education system as a whole as the schools, teachers and students become
  very exam orientated. Research shows exams produces learning FOR exams.
• Exams are not simply the culprit – need to look at number of subjects taught, type of questions etc.
• Not simply about abolish or not abolish – more complex problem.
• Good and positive wash-back effects are not planned for in teaching or policy making.
• When emulating the West remember that Malaysia has a different context. Need to look at local situation
  and what we can do differently.
• Change and innovation are current buzzwords but not so simple to implement.
• Research has shown that when change is not properly planned you get multiple interpretations by teachers,
  students, administrators etc so planning is essential.
• Appealed for the asking of questions rather than radical changes.
• Research from a Master’s thesis showed that school-based exams didn’t work as teachers didn’t understand
  them properly.
• Teachers are the hardest hit group from changes.
• Everyone gives the reason of not enough time. Need to look at time – the time to read, have fun etc for
  children.
• Teachers pay lip service to innovation because they have to survive.

Ms Lok Yim Pheng, Secretary General, National Union of Teaching Profession:
• Presented facts from unions and feedback from teachers.
• Increasing emphasis in the world on: innovation, creativity, vocational learning, quality not quantity.
• Any decisions made – the heat is at the teachers.
• Suggests not total abolishment of UPSR & PMR but changes with conditions/suggestions.
• Current education system is not building holistic children but robotic children that are spoon fed, especially in
  primary school.
• Children need to develop their own potential at their own pace.
• Must not hand over total assessment to schools – against school-based exams – because of concerns on
  quality, reliability and validity.
• The school-based system has died down.
• Need to look at curriculum contents. Teachers and children are overburdened by the number of subjects at
  the moment. Needs evaluation – which subjects are more important?
• Need to retrain teachers when something new is introduced. There have been too many new policies.
• Need to make sure schools have enough resources and facilities such as computers.
• Need more inspectors to monitor if we have school-based exams.
• Need to replace automatic class upgrading to non-automatic. If students can’t keep up they must not be
  allowed to move up. Those that excel should follow an academic route; those that don’t should follow a 
  more vocational education system.
• If all these are properly planned for we can have a humanized system where students are able to think, are
  knowledgeable and can use their knowledge in the real world when they leave school and go on to higher
  education and the workforce.

Madam Mawarni Hassan, Maybank, Retired Educator:
• Has worked with teaching children to when they have finished and have entered the workforce.
• Also works with disadvantaged children so knows how the present education system really affects them.
• Overall picture of what our country needs – we are looking for individuals but have robots because we put
  children in a box of things they have to follow.
• A small minority has risen above the system but they have only been able to because of a high income
  background which has produced a positive social environment that has helped them.
• The focus on UPSR has failed to allow teachers time to help children that are behind and doesn’t allow
  academically gifted children to go beyond the standard curriculum for their age.
• 62% of the population has an income less that RM3000. These families need education to get out of their
  low socio-economic status. They need their children to get out of the box.
• We continue to fail our children by not giving help and focus to those in need.
• Big issue is students that fall through the cracks. Remedial teachers are supposed to identify these students
  but are failing to do so because of the shifting of resources to UPSR exams.
• Teachers rush to get through the curriculum. They concentrate on helping those that can get As and leave
  those who can’t behind. This is because teachers are graded on how many students get As.
• Need an education system that is:
  o Supported by concrete framework of standards.
  o Simple outcome based – can easily see what standards are at primary level.
  o Simple how they have performed so MNCs can easily see what Malaysians have achieved.

Current Stance on Exams
A vote revealed that:
a) Abolish UPSR only                   = 4 votes
b) Abolish PMR only                     = 3 votes
c)  Abolish both                           = 9 votes
d) Do not abolish, review, revamp = 24 votes

Discussion by Stakeholders
The panel discussion was then followed by responses from participants, moderated by YB Lau Chin, head of Education & Knowledge Society Bureau, Gerakan.

The overall consensus was that the current education system needs to be evaluated/ reviewed and possibly a major revamp.
Key points:
• Need a long term policy.
• Period of consultation set by government is too short.
• Politicians should have limited/minimal involvement.
• School-based exam can be very complicated.
• Current system too exam orientated - creates robotic students that can’t think out of the box. Doesn’t
  produce students the world is looking for.
• Current exams are a limited measure of students’ ability.
• Curriculum needs reviewing.
• Teacher’s incentives are skewed to helping A grade students and leaving the lower ability students behind.
• Quality of teachers has declined.
• Teachers have too many obligations - cannot concentrate on teaching.
• IF UPSR abolished replace with assessment at year 5.
• Heterogeneity – need to remove/account for personal bias particularly in rural/urban and in income.
• Need to let students have the choice of vocational training if they are suited to it.

Dr. Chin Fook Weng, Gerakan
• The period of a 2 month consultation time set by the Ministry of Education is too short.
• This is a complex issue which needs time to be debated. Need to have an extensive, intensive, through
  discussion.

Dr. See Hoon Peow, KBU International College
• Most people think a continuous or school-based system will be simpler.
• KBU has been running an Australian school-based scheme (AUSMAT). It is very complicated with many (at
  least 4) exams a year plus public exams.
• The fact that all teachers’ promotion depends on exam results in students being pushed to perform.

K.L. Chan, Parent
• The main issue is delivery.
• Parents should have some say in new system as they are most connected to the education system through
  their children.

Lee Hui Seng, Gerakan
• Present system will come to parents bribing teachers to give better marks to their children.
• Need a national referendum amongst all key parties.
• MOE needs to overhaul the whole education system to create more creative students.
• Politicians, stakeholders, teachers, academicians shouldn’t have the only say, children and parents should
  too.
• The time frame for making a decision keeps changing.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ganakumanran, University of Nottingham
• Misunderstanding between what we think PMR is and what its goals are.
• Need to understand why we need exams first.
• Problem with exams is that they become the only measures of good and bad.
• Forces teachers to concentrate on teaching those that can get As – streamline at year 4. Half the kids are
  left behind.
• Our education system is based on the Cambridge system but the UK’s system has moved on.
• Need to stop clinging on to our colonial past.
• Need to lose the fear and anxiety that the national exam is the be all and end all.
• UK now also has the International Baccalaureate (IB) as well as the Cambridge system. IB is more holistic
  and students with lower IB scores get accepted to universities compared to lower Cambridge system scores.

Karu, Tuition Centre
• Believes UPSR should be abolished. If there needs to be an exam it should be at year 5.
• When children get to year 1, students are already tired from exams and stop trying.
• Exams in year 5 will allow teachers to help behind students.

Dominic Lau, Gerakan
• What type of students do we want in our society today?
• Many lack thinking/analytical ability skills.
• Education system is focused on output (number of As) not on outcome (application of learning).
• Need to give more time to teachers to help behind students.

Vincent Ho Swee Peng, Gerakan
• Need to consider the rural/urban divide among students.
• Who is the real victim when abolishing? Rural or urban? Who are we fighting for?

J. Solomon, NUBE
• Need an entire revamp of system.
• Seen that new recruits that join the banks are very robotic.
• Politicians must play a very minimum role when revamping the system. They make positions on emotions
  and votes.
• Teachers – no more a noble profession - have become very commercialized.
• Has become a territory of war – parents want the best – put pressure on their children.
• Use of time in school not productive. Often teachers say to behind children they can teach them in tuition
  school in the evening. What about during the normal school day?

Wong Siew Song, Seri Damasara School
• The crux of the problem is the decline in the quality of teachers – what goes in, what comes out?
• Can be sure that non-bumi teachers have the STPM.
• School-based system – can you trust it? With low quality teachers?
• Senior ministers need to set an example by being articulate etc.
• Have assessment in year 5 so that year 6 can be a review year where children can improve.
• Need to let students without academic ability have the choice of vocational training.

Jamie Khoo, REFSA
• Spoke from direct and recent experience of the education system in Malaysia.
• The question is more complex than should we scrap KBSR or KBSM.
• Need to review curriculum. Elementary subjects such as political morals are contributing to grade inflation.
  Religious studies should be taught in religious places.
• Heavy exam culture – monthly, mid term exams – no time to do anything else.
• District based tests such as USA SATS are fragmented.
• Should have our own education system instead of following UK, US, Australia etc.
• Malaysian exam system is producing poor students/people.

Zhong Zuo Xing, Gerakan
• Everything has to be evaluated.
• Exams are a necessary evil – need to be evaluated – need a revamp not an abolishment.
• We never revamp in a macro manner – macro-education.
• Science practical exam was scrapped and now we are producing scientists with no practical skills.
• Exams are stressful, but without exams it is even more stressful for teachers to assess.
• Need other types of exams apart from written e.g. practical, observation.
• Doesn’t think exams should be abolished.

Yap Soon Hoe, Gerakan
• Need a policy that takes in to account the fact that grooming a generation takes about 17 years.
• But have had 3 ministers in past 10 years resulting in no long term policy.
• A lot of teachers moonlight as the salary is too low.
• Headteachers have too many meetings.

Dr. Soh Sook Wai, Gerakan
• There is a personal bias (whether it be race, income etc) that we have not managed to get rid of in exams,
  scholarships etc.
• Need some form of standardization.

Ho Yock Lin, Huazong
• The question do we want to abolish UPSR, PMR frames everything in to a Yes or No box.
• We need a cultural revolution of our education system.
• Should our education be put in the hands of teachers, academicians or put in the hands of politicians?
• Marginalised sector needs attention. There is an unequal distribution of resources as teachers only focus on
  students that can get As.

Speaker no. 16
• Need to change from education for elite to education for all.
• Urban – rural dichotomy. Need to provide facilities for the poor.

Speaker no. 17
• Need to review whole system – facilities, curriculum, teacher incentives etc.

Speaker no. 18
• Teachers do more testing than teaching. Policymakers keep setting exams for teachers.
• Problem of the policymakers not teachers’ fault.

Speaker no. 19
• The idea of abolishing comes too easily to us. If we abolish something, we need to make clear what we’re
  putting in place of it.
• Malaysia is not a homogenous country, although we constantly talk about homogeneity.
• Heterogeneous in terms of race, rural/urban, access to education, cultural differences in learning e.g.
  supermarket is lost on rural children.
• Need to take divisions in to account to remedy the situation.
• Education is particularly not reaching students in rural areas.
• Education is not completely public. The private system i.e. tuition schools are also driving it.
• Variation in how much money is spent on private education – almost matches how much money is put in
  tuition centres.
• Need to disenfranchise the education system – free it from the government, although the government
  should concentrate on the rural sector.
• Need to create a second education system.
• Chinese proverb, ‘In the case of education, you plan for a hundred years’.
• Cannot allow politicians to just change education policy suddenly without thorough analysis.

Michael F.G., Amosho BMC
• Are politicians planning for the next hundred years or the next election?

Response from the Panelists

Dr Jamil Adimin
• Abolishing the UPSR and PMR exams does not mean no assessment at all.
• You cannot be against exam oriented system but for continuous education system.

Ms Lok Yim Pheng
• Main issue is the lack of resources.
• Teachers feel they are not doing their jobs - work is currently 60% paperwork, rushing through heavy
  curriculums.
• It is a priority for the government to address infrastructure issues.
• Need a strong foundation to build something on – education is an investment not a cost.

Prof. Dr. Fatimah Hashim
• Assessment is necessary. It provides feedback for teaching and learning.
• The world is moving towards innovation – need to lead children to innovate so that learning is meaningful.
• Appeals for long term and short term plans.
• Short term plans – rich and plenty of data from PMR results showing which children/schools are not
  performing, so do not need to spend more money on researching and studies.
• Long term plans – improve the education system. Key issue is the disadvantaged – are we channeling funds
  to the right place?
• The world is moving towards online education and distance learning. These have the potential to help the
  poor in particular. Why not consider online assessment which saves funds?

Madam Mawarni Hassan
• Experiencing deja-vu. We have discussed this issue already before.
• We are not wasting our time – although the policy may already be set, we can still make comments and
  conditions.
• Need a framework of standards.
• Education system exists within a community. The clearer the standards the clearer the community can
  contribute.
• Need proper infrastructure – especially ICT – online assessment was discussed and researched 10-15 years
  ago. Where has the money gone for ICT spending?
• Malaysia is the only country were education has been commercialized. It is our children that are the victims
  of this.
• Any changes cannot be rushed. They must be deliberated on.

Extra time - Wong Siew Song, Seri Damasara School
• Malaysia’s future is our children.
• Need to develop the potentials of our children. UPSR and PMR do not measure potential.
• Diagnostic test is important.
• Need more types of assessment e.g. observation.

The roundtable discussion was closed by Mr Khaw Veon Szu who expressed his thanks at the excellent turnout of people and their informative contributions to the discussion. He said all opinions would be noted down and a memorandum sent to the government.

WOU report: http://wou.edu.my/mozilla/news_gal_22july2010.aspx

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