KUALA LUMPUR: THE first examination under the new Form Three Assessment (PT3) system, which replaces the centralised Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) format, will be conducted beginning next month.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday that the Education Ministry had fixed July 1 until Oct 17 for secondary schools to hold the PT3 final examination and assessment.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said all secondary schools were free to choose any date within the allocated timeframe to carry out their examinations.
“The ministry has fixed July 1 to July 18 for schools to hold the final assessment for History and Geography, which would be conducted via case studies instrument.
“All secondary schools have been allocated 24 days, beginning Aug 6, to conduct oral tests (listening and speech) for Bahasa Melayu and English language.
“The ministry has also fixed Oct 12 until Oct 17 for schools to conduct written tests for Bahasa Melayu, English Language, Science, Mathematics, Islamic Studies, Living Skills, Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, Iban and Kadazandusun language subjects,” Muhyiddin said after officiating at the Bukit Damansara Charity Carnival here.
A total of 480,000 Form Three students around the country will be the first to sit for the PT3 examination.
Under the new system, the examination papers would be prepared by the respective secondary schools.
To ensure a smooth implementation of the system, Muhyiddin said the Examinations Board would assist schools in preparing questions.
“Since this is the first year for the implementation of PT3 , the Examinations Board will provide a pool of examination questions for the schools to choose from and include it in the examination papers.
“And all questions prepared by the board have the same level of difficulty,” Muhyiddin said.
He also said each school would be assigned a group of external evaluators appointed by the board, comprising teachers from other schools, for another round of checks on examination papers that have been marked.
Unlike PMR, the students’ performance transcript in the PT3 examination would be prepared by the respective schools.
“Students will be evaluated based on bands, from Band One, which indicates poor performance, to an excellent Band Six.”
Muhyiddin said since last year, the ministry had made preparations prior to the implementation of PT3, including training more than 60,000 Form Three teachers.
On doubts raised by several parents over the PT3 system, Muhyiddin assured that the new format would help to improve students’ performance and thinking abilities at secondary school level.
“The ministry is aware that some quarters have yet to fully understand the true spirit of PT3.
“However, I would like to stress that PT3 will enable teachers to make early identification of their students’ weaknesses in any subjects and come up with ways to improve it.
“We are also trying to nurture and develop higher-order thinking skills among students through the introduction of PT3. This is in line with the expansion of education at the global level.”
He said the ministry would continue ongoing efforts to promote greater understanding of PT3 by meeting Parent-Teacher Associations in the country.
“I hope all parents will give a chance and support the ministry in our move to implement PT3.”