No UPSR, PT3, SPM & SVM this year.
The decision to reopen schools will only be made when the situation is truly back to normal, said Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
He said the ministry understood that parents were concerned that they would not be able to make appropriate arrangements if a sudden announcement was made on the reopening of schools.
“Parents need not worry. The ministry will continue to engage with the Ministry of Health to fix an appropriate date for the reopening of schools.
“The Ministry of Education will make the announcement about the reopening at least two weeks in advance,” he said at a press conference today.
Radzi also 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 the 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 is one of the criteria for admission to full boarding schools (SBP), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA), Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) and Royal Military College (RMC), the 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 full-boarding or technical schools,” he said.
Radzi said semester 2 exams for STPM candidates would be held by August this year with the semester 3 in the first quarter of next year.
The STAM will also be held in the first quarter of next year, he added.
“As we realise the postponement of the examination dates would affect student intake in universities, the Education and Higher Education Ministries have agreed to postpone the intake dates for public universities for foundation programmes, matriculation and diploma levels until July or August 2021, while programmes have been postponed to September or October 2021,” he said.