KUCHING: Year Six pupils in Sarawak will sit for the state's own standardised assessment for Mathematics, Science and English starting next year, says Datuk Seri Roland Sagah.
The state Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister said the assessment's main objective was to evaluate the progress of teaching Science and Mathematics in English under Sarawak's dual language programme (DLP).
"The first Sarawak DLP cohort will reach Year Six in 2025, providing an ideal time to assess the programme's impact and make improvements where necessary.
"This standardised assessment also serves as early preparation to help students build the skills and confidence they need to sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) public examination," he told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in his winding-up speech on Monday (Nov 18).
It was previously reported that Sarawak would introduce its own standardised Year Six assessment after the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) was abolished in favour of school-based assessments.
Sagah said his ministry was currently developing the Year Six assessment in collaboration with Cambridge University Press and Assessment, state-owned higher learning institutions, state Education Department and private schools in Sarawak.
He said Cambridge University Press and Assessment was providing expertise to ensure that Sarawak's standards were on par with international benchmarks.
"This collaborative effort will allow the first standardised assessment for Sarawak DLP at Year Six to be carried out in 2025, covering Science, Mathematics and English subjects," he said.
He added that another standardised assessment for Form Three students will be implemented starting 2028.
This will take the place of the Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examination, which has also been abolished.
Sagah also said his ministry would bring up a proposal to reintroduce Bible studies in Sarawak's primary schools to the Education Ministry for further discussions.
He said this in response to Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus' call for the subject's reintroduction as it had been an important part of Sarawak's education history.
When debating the 2025 state budget last week, John said Bible studies had been taught in schools during and after the colonial era in Sarawak, helping to strengthen tolerance and respect for different faiths and cultures.
"(Reintroducing the subject) will further enhance tolerance among the young as part of human and spiritual development," he had said.
