WHY DID MANY STUDENTS FAIL TO OBTAIN SPM CERTIFICATION?
Picture source : New Strait Times
By Subaashinee Kupusamy,
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 June: The high rate of absenteeism and failure in the 2022 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination ought to compel the government to reconsider its policy of not using exam-based assessments.
Dr Anuar Ahmad of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, an education expert, stated that the impact of removing Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in 2021 and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) last year would be visible in students taking the SPM starting next year.
According to Anuar, the absence of UPSR and PT3 could potentially be detrimental to students because there was no common benchmark prior to SPM to measure their ability to answer test questions.
He was responding to the findings of an assessment by Untuk Malaysia, a movement to revitalize the education system, which stated that 70,445 applicants in the 2022 SPM did not receive certificates, either because they did not attend the exams or because they failed their Bahasa Melayu or History papers.
Based on concerns from teachers and parents, he recommended that the class-based assessment system (PBD) be reviewed because it was not performing satisfactorily.
He stated that the Education Ministry must address three issues: the number of students in each classroom, which could have an impact on the system’s efficiency; the overburdened curriculum; and instructors’ autonomy.
Students will have difficulties if they took the SPM in the future, he warned.
“A classroom should include no more than 25 students in order to efficiently conduct activities and examinations” he added.
Educationist Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr. Noraini Idris remarked that their implementation needed to be reviewed, while she endorsed PBD and school-based assessment systems (PBS).
To ensure that students were as prepared for the SPM, the “final,” before leaving school as they had been during the teaching and learning process prior, she advised incorporating the national examination component into school instruction.
“UPSR and PT3 should be revived to allow students to familiarize themselves with “standards” before they sit for SPM” she continued.
Noraini, who is National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Association president believes that an effective PBD system that includes creative curriculum and PBS should work together to develop well-rounded kids as stated in NST.
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