Public exams cancelled, postponed

This year’s UPSR, PT3 scrapped, SPM and SVM postponed to first quarter of 2021, says Education Minister

PUTRAJAYA: There will be no Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3), Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia SPM) and ( Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) examinations held this year. Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin in a special press conference here yesterday announced that this year’s UPSR and PT3 examinations slated for September and early October have been cancelled, while SPM and SVM examinations slated for October and early November have been postponed to the first quarter of 2021. He said the cancellation of UPSR will not affect the assessment of students after attending primary education as the assessment could be done through various means. “As the result of UPSR being one of the criteria for admission to full boarding schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama, Mara Junior Science College and Royal Military College, the Ministry of Education MOE) ( will introduce a new method for this purpose, which is not solely focused on academic performance. “The cancellation of the PT3 examination will also not affect the assessment of the performance of students in the lower secondary level. A new assessment method will be introduced. The result from this assessment will be used as one of the criteria for admission to specific schools such as fullboarding or technical schools,” he added. Nevertheless, Mohd Radzi stressed that the students’ access to teaching and learning process will remain a priority. He said the decision applies to all government schools, government-aided schools, private schools and any educational institution registered with the MOE. “Schools which are not registered with the MOE are also encouraged to follow this decision,” he said. Meanwhile, the minister said for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), the examination date for Semester 2 has been changed to August, while the examination for Semester 3 will be held in the first quarter of 2021. The Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia STAM) will also be ( held in the first quarter of next year. “Realising that the postponement of the examination dates will affect the admission to tertiary institutions, the MOE and the Ministry of Higher Education have agreed to also postpone the date of admission to tertiary institutions for foundation, matriculation and diploma programmes to July or August 2021, while for degree programmes, to September or October 2021,” he added. - Bernama