Exam dates rescheduled

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry has rescheduled centralised and other major examinations following the extension of the movement control order until April 14.

For the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam dates, the written portion will now be conducted in one phase from Nov 16 to Dec 7.

Originally, the first phase was to start from Oct 5-14 while the second phase was from Nov 2-19.

The Form Three Assessment (PT3) which is scheduled for Sept 28 to Oct 6 will see the Bahasa Malaysia and English Language papers held on Sept 28 and Sept 29 respectively.

However, the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination dates remained unchanged, said the ministry in a statement.

The Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) Semester 2 examination which was initially scheduled for early May has been postponed to Nov 18,19,23 and 24 while the Semester 3 examination will take place as scheduled on Nov 3,4, 5,9 and 10.

The Semester 2 examination was rescheduled to give ample time for schools to manage the remaining second semester.

Separately, all public institutions of higher education (IPTA) must begin the second semester for the current academic year between April 27 and June 1.

The Higher Education Ministry said the decision was made following the extension of the MCO.

“The decision was made after an in-depth discussion with representatives from all IPTAs and private higher education institutions (IPTS) and taking into consideration several factors, ” it said in a statement.

The ministry said among the factors were the latest MCO period and directives regarding Covid-19, students’ safety and welfare, and the Hari Raya holidays which would start on May 24.

The ministry added that it had considered the readiness of higher education institutions to implement teaching and learning using a variety of methods, including online learning, and also the need to end the current semester and begin the new 2020/2021 academic year.

“The first semester of the new academic year is expected to begin in mid-October 2020, ” it said, adding that IPTS were free to choose their own dates based on their own academic calendars and taking into account the above factors.

“Based on this, IPTAs need to manage the return of their students to the campus and take into account the above factors.”