Gerakan wants the Education Ministry to take into consideration the views of all stakeholders on the plan to reduce the weightage of UPSR from 100% to 30% or 40% and before it comes out with an assessment system that will be introduced in primary schools.

“The basic purpose of education is to create individuals who are critical and have a profound understanding of society as well as able to appreciate ethical and moral values. While many of us may have this common agreement, the manners in which these objectives can be achieved may vary,” said Gerakan Youth Secretary-General Dr Dominic Lau.

“It is important therefore that before the government comes out with any assessment system it has to ensure that the views of all stakeholders will be taken into account. We believe that through this way we will be able to come up with the most inclusive and effective system as it is a synthesis of everyone’s ideas,” Lau said.

“To do this it would be wise for the government to set up a committee that comprises of education experts, headmasters, teachers, public intellectuals and parents to deliberate on a system which can best serve the interest of our children and our nation.”

He added, “It should be afforded ample time and done carefully as once we come up with a system that takes into consideration the views of all stakeholders, we must be prepared to see it through the next 10 to 15 years. It would be of no use to us and a waste of resources if we construct a system based on the ideas of a few and after only 5 or years 6 decide to reverse it when we realized that the idea was not feasible and effective in the first place.”

“Finally, the assessment system has to looked at and be reform in entirety. In other words, we must not only addressed the examination aspect, but also the implementation by schools, the infrastructure needed, the quality of teachers and the role of parents in a child’s education process, just to name a few.”

“We cannot have this ‘road repair’ concept. If there is a hole here we patch up here, if there is a hole there then we patch that hole there. In the end, the road is uneven and useless,” he noted.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently said that an assessment system that includes student participation in co-curricular activities besides school exams will be introduced in primary schools to promote holistic learning.