KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry stressed on the importance of continuous teaching and learning activities (PdP) following the cancellation of this year’s Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) for Year 6 pupils and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) for Form 3 students.
Senior Minister (Education) Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, in a special briefing with education editors, said the cancellation does not mean students should stop learning.
“Our priority is the safety of our children. However, we must make it very clear that the learning process is to continue for the purpose of gaining knowledge, and not merely to pass exams.
“The current syllabus and learning materials should still be part of the learning process for students. This means home-based learning should continue using any method deemed suitable by teachers.”
He added that it is common in many countries to not conduct public examinations at primary school level and there should not be any issue pertaining to students lacking motivation to study if there are no examinations.
“The learning process is not all about sitting for an exam but because of the knowledge one acquires.
“In light of the crisis we are facing today, the cancellation of the exams presents an opportunity for parents and teachers to provide the space for our kids and encourage them to learn for the love of knowledge, ” he said.
Mohd Radzi also said that with the cancellation of these examinations, it is hoped that it would reduce the pressure of parents handling their children during the MCO.
“We have been talking about online learning but in reality, ownership of a device or hardware is limited among students. At home, sometimes parents only have one laptop, while they have three children who are schooling, and the father has to do his office work as well.
“We understand these constraints and we hope teachers will take these constraints into account in making any decision on the suitable mechanism to deliver lessons to children at home."
He added that it was the ministry’s priority to ensure that students have access to teaching and learning regardless of the circumstances in light of the MCO.