State Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah (right) announcing the Ujian Penilaian Dual Language Programme results on Friday (Nov 21).
KUCHING: Sarawak pupils have achieved encouraging results in the state's Ujian Penilaian Dual Language Programme (UP-DLP) assessment, says Datuk Seri Roland Sagah.
The state Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister said 29,002 pupils from 1,050 schools across Sarawak sat for the inaugural assessment in English, Science and Mathematics on Oct 15 and 16.
He said English recorded the highest passing rate at 91%, followed by Science at 84.7% and Mathematics at 61%.
"English shows the strongest and most consistent performance among all three subjects, indicating that our ongoing English proficiency and immersion programmes are yielding positive outcomes.
"In addition, 5,241 students or 18.1% scored an A in the subject," he told a press conference at his office here on Friday (Nov 21).
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Sagah said Mathematics remained the most challenging subject, particularly in rural schools, with 1,734 pupils scoring an A.
He said the performance in Science was encouraging, but the number of high achievers was low.
"This suggests the need to strengthen conceptual understanding and inquiry-based learning," he said, noting that only 199 pupils obtained an A in the subject.
Sagah also said urban schools did better than rural schools in all three subjects, highlighting a disparity that the ministry was committed to narrowing.
He added, however, that UP-DLP was not meant for comparing results among students or schools.
Instead, it served as a diagnostic tool to measure the effectiveness of Sarawak's dual language programme and identify areas for improvement.
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Moving forward, he said his ministry recognised the need to strengthen Science and Mathematics performance, especially in rural schools.
"This calls for drastic and targeted intervention programmes to address the underlying issues in teaching and learning Mathematics in particular.
"The ministry will work closely with the (federal) Education Ministry, state Education Department and relevant agencies to implement effective strategies and support systems to improve student outcomes," he said.
Sarawak began implementing the DLP in primary schools in 2020 for Science and Mathematics to be taught in English.
The UP-DLP was introduced for the first batch of DLP pupils who reached Year Six this year.
"It provides valuable insights into the progress and effectiveness of the DLP implementation in our schools.
"We look forward to the continued success of UP-DLP in 2026 as we strive towards achieving Sarawak's vision to develop a digitally competent, innovative and globally competitive generation," Sagah said.
