Reintroducing UPSR may hinder pupils' participation in non-academic fields, says Education Ministry

PUTRAJAYA: Preliminary findings from engagement sessions held by the Education Ministry indicate that stakeholders feel that the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) should not be reintroduced at this point as it would hinder students from being active in non-academic fields.

Education director-general Datuk Pkharuddin Ghazali said the findings from the engagement sessions showed that Malaysians wanted value-based education to be prioritised.

"Pupils, parents and leaders were unanimous in stating that UPSR should not be revived as it would block primary school students' ability to be active in other fields as we focus on the academic," he told reporters after the ministry's Inspiration Talk programme here on Friday (Nov 3).

He was commenting on Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek's statement on Oct 28 that the ministry would not revive UPSR even if parents want it to benchmark their children's academic achievements at primary school level.

The UPSR was abolished in 2021 after engagement sessions with various stakeholders by the government following its cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We aren't saying that exams are not good, but at this point, character building and instilling values in students are more of a priority.

"In a world without borders, they learn so quickly from handheld gadgets, but there are no values in them," said Pkharuddin, adding that students can be exposed to various activities including sports, robotics and cultural competitions. – Bernama