Press Digest - New concerns over Form 1

PETALING JAYA: With the UPSR results out, many parents' concern is now shifted to whether national-type Chinese primary schools' pupils would be directly promoted to Form 1 next year.
According to a circular from the Education Ministry, the Transition Class, which is meant to prepare pupils who are poor in Bahasa Malaysia for Form 1, will not be scrapped for now but UPSR results will not be the only means to determine whether a candidate will be promoted to Form 1.
According to a report in China Press today, the ministry circular dated Oct 18 said candidates who failed their BM in UPSR can appeal for exemption from Transition Class studies based on their school BM examination results for Years 4-6.
However, the final decision rests with the state education department.
The circular also said national-type Chinese and Tamil schools have to set up their own committees headed by their respective school headmasters to access pupils' appeals for exemption from Transition Class studies.
The circular also stated that those who obtained grade C for BM in UPSR will be promoted to Form 1.
Those who failed in the subject in UPSR but do not want to go to transition class can appeal through their respective school committee, provided that they have obtained at least grade C for the subject in their school examinations for Years 4, 5 and 6.
Apart from the school headmaster, the committee should comprise three BM teachers.