New format for English paper in UPSR

PUTRAJAYA: There will be a change in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination from next year with the Education Ministry changing the format of the English language subject.
"From the UPSR exam of 2016, the English language paper will be split into two papers – comprehension inclusive of multiple-choice questions and writing," Malaysian Examination Board director Datin Nawal Salleh said at a press conference today.
She added that the multiple choice questions will also be reduced starting next year.
This move follows the implementation of Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) policy in 2011.
The Chinese and Tamil papers for vernacular school students will also be split into two like English. This means that students will have additional subjects to score for UPSR due to the split – six for national schools and eight for vernacular schools.
She added that the UPSR 2016 format will be available at www.lp.edu.my with immediate effect.
In an immediate response, the Parent Action Group for Education (Page) applauded the ministry’s move for the UPSR’s English examination.
Its chairman, Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, told theSun that the ministry’s announcement was not surprising. She said this is because it has followed through the “Uphold Bahasa Malaysia, Strengthening the English Language” policy.
“I suppose it is a consistent move because the English examination paper is given equal attention alongside Bahasa Malaysia.
“This is a positive move and I hope all stakeholders will support it. It is also important for the minister to see it through,” she said.
However, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Hashim Adnan did not agree with the move as the timeframe before implementation is just one year.
"It is too short for both students and teachers to adjust to the new system," he said.
He added that for the current Year 5 students and teachers, they will have less than one year to adjust to the new system.
Additionally, it will be a burden for parents too.
“Let the parents’ voice their opinions too, not spring this announcement on them," he said.
He added a suitable time frame of two years would be more favourable to implement the new format.