BERNAMA
19/01/2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 -- Suggestions that the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) trial results be used to replace the actual examination seem inappropriate, said the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP).
Explaining the matter, NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock said the SPM trial examination was a method for teachers to identify the abilities and weaknesses of their students before they sit for the actual examination.
He said the standard of the SPM trial examination was not equivalent to the actual SPM, which had an assessment in line with international standards.
“SPM trial examination has no benchmark with international standards, therefore, it is not fair to use the trial results to replace the actual SPM.
“Even without the trial exams, teachers still have other approaches that can be done as preparations for SPM students throughout the school sessions this year before SPM examination begins,” he said when contacted by Bernama here today.
He was commenting on suggestions by some parents that the SPM examination be cancelled and the SPM trial results be graded as the actual result.
Yesterday, through the list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), the Education Ministry said that the 2020 SPM trial examination need not be carried out by schools which have not conducted it and that it would not affect the students’ opportunity to further their studies at public higher learning institutions.
Harry said it was important for teachers and SPM students to focus on preparing for the SPM examination, adding that the decision to cancel the trial exams would at least ease the pressure faced by affected candidates in the flood-hit and Movement Control Order (MCO) areas.
In SABAH, parents of SPM candidates believe that any decision regarding SPM, including postponing the examination dates or using the trial examination results as the actual result, should be fair to the students.
A village head of Lokub in Kiulu, Unus Limun, 46, said the move to protect students from the spread of COVID-19 was good but it was unfair to use SPM trial results as the actual result.
“The trial examination is to see our children’s achievements and to improve their weaknesses before sitting for the actual examination,” he told Bernama today.
For 45-year-old Runah Bernadus, who works as a nursery assistant in Tawau, disagreed with the suggestion, saying it was unfair for students who hoped to do their best in the actual examination.
“In my opinion, the trial exam should not be an indicator of actual performance because students who get poor results during the trial will be hoping to do better in the actual examination," she said.
Last Saturday, the MOE announced that the face-to-face school session commencing tomorrow for the whole country would only involve students sitting for the SPM, Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM), Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM), Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM), and Malaysian Vocational Diploma (DVM) as well as equivalent international examinations last year.
The ministry has decided to move the dates for SPM, SVM and STAM to Feb 22 while gthe STPM will be held on March 8.
