‘It’s devolution of power’

PETALING JAYA: Federal ministers from Sarawak say the state’s proposal to hold its own Year Six assessment exams is a form of “devolution of power” as stated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (pic) said the proposal was mainly to delegate power to the state to assist in the streaming of Science and Arts students when they enter secondary schools.

She said she supported Sarawak Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah’s proposal as it was a good management system for the state.

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“Education is also another part of MA63. I support this because I experienced being a student who had to sit for the Common Entrances (Selection) Examination held for Year Six pupils in Sarawak. I was in the final batch of 1973 before it was abolished the year after,” Nancy said.

“It was indeed a very good initiative to train the minds of the children. It is a very good programme for pupils so that they will be actively involved in science and even in critical art.”

Another federal minister, also a Sarawakian but who declined to be named, said it was not a far cry from MA63 for Sarawak to ask for its own assessment system as under the agreement, education and healthcare were among the matters in which the state did have a certain autonomy.

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“This proposal is due to a lack of any current proper assessment method. It is not going against the Federal Government’s education system.

“It is merely a devolution of power to enable the state to have an education system in accordance with its needs, in line with MA63,” said the minister.

He said he had been made to understand negotiations were currently taking place between the state and federal authorities in education to seek a solution.

In Kuching, Sagah said Sarawak’s proposed Year Six assessment system was an initiative to shape the future direction of education for pupils and not meant to burden teachers, parents or pupils with undue stress.

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He said it was vital in light of the dual language programme (DLP) for the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English, which was being implemented in Sarawak.

“The assessment will serve as a means to gauge the effectiveness of the DLP, as well as all other initiatives which we have put in place to increase the uptake of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in our schools.

“With the assessment in place, we will also be able to identify areas for improvement and implement interventions,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Sagah also looked forward to working closely with all stakeholders, especially the federal Education Ministry and state Education Department, to make the proposed assessment a success.

He welcomed Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s support for the initiative, saying that collaborative efforts by the ministry and department to provide valuable input in raising the quality of education in Sarawak were appreciated.

In a press conference earlier yesterday, Sagah said the proposed assessment would be done in consultation with the Education Department.

“This is not in conflict with the federal policy (on education). It is a way for us to improve the education system in our state.

“That’s why we requested for more autonomy (in education),” he said, adding that the assessment could be considered an administrative matter to be carried out by the state.

Asked if it would be similar to the UPSR examination, Sagah said this was not decided yet.

“That’s why we need input from the Education Department,” he added.