STU to conduct survey, hold discussions on S’wak’s planned Primary 6, Form 3 standardised assessments

KUCHING (Sept 18): The Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) will conduct a survey and hold discussions on the Sarawak government’s plan to introduce standardised assessments for Primary 6 starting next year and Form 3 by 2028.

STU president Kullin Djayang said the survey is necessary before the union can comment further on the matter.

“We will be conducting a survey and also holding discussions regarding the matter as well. STU will highlight this issue on a later date,” he said when contacted.

Kullin was responding to Education, Innovation and Talent Development Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee’s statement that the Sarawak government has developed a comprehensive plan to introduce standardised assessments for Primary 6 and Form 3.

Dr Annuar had said this when calling for a prompt revamp of the national education policy which abolished Primary 6 and Form 3 exams.

He highlighted concerns about the high dropout rate among Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates last year, which Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi attributed partly to problems with reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Dr Annuar had pointed out the importance of standardised assessments to collect uniform data on literacy and numeracy proficiency, which would enable more effective policy planning.

He also suggested that a Primary 3 assessment is needed to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency.