KUCHING: For 12-year-old Cleo Ong, Sarawak’s Year Six standardised assessment was both easy and tough.
She was among 29,002 pupils who sat for the inaugural Ujian Penilaian Dual Language Programme (UP-DLP) on Oct 15-16, which assessed proficiency in Science, Mathematics and English – the three subjects taught under the dual language programme in Sarawak.
“For me, Mathematics was the easiest and Science the hardest.
“We don’t do experiments in Science class, so I struggled to understand the concepts,” said Cleo, a pupil from SK St Teresa, who scored As in Mathematics and English and a C in Science.
She said more extra lessons would have helped, as the school had only two months of revision before the exam.
Cleo’s mother, Cassandra Lau, said the UP-DLP was useful to gauge pupils’ learning but stressed the importance of hands-on activities, such as Science experiments that spark interest.
“Teaching these subjects in English is good because that is the language they will use at tertiary level. But there should be proper teacher training and stronger knowledge transfer before implementing this assessment,” she said.
Earlier, state Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah said pupils from 1,050 primary schools sat for the inaugural exam.
Announcing the results yesterday, Sagah 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, indicating that our ongoing proficiency and immersion programmes are yielding positive outcomes. Some 5,241 students, or 18.1%, scored an A,” he said.
Sagah said Mathematics remained the toughest subject, especially in rural schools, with 1,734 pupils scoring an A.
Sagah also said that urban schools outperformed rural schools across all subjects, a gap the ministry is committed to narrowing.
He added that UP-DLP was not for comparing students or schools, but a diagnostic tool to measure the DLP’s effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
“This calls for targeted intervention programmes to address underlying teaching and learning issues in Mathematics. We will work closely with the federal Education Ministry, state Education Department and relevant agencies to implement effective strategies and support systems.”
