THE constant postponements of major national examinations and the Education Ministry’s inconsistent policies are irresponsible, and have taken a mental toll on students, parents and institutions, education activists told The Malaysian Insight.

They want the government to have better coordination and give institutions stewardship for professional decision-making.  

“It does not help when the ministry disrupts the momentum with their constant changing of dates,” said Dr Sharifah Munirah Syed Alatas, senior lecturer in strategic studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

“Anxiety connected with the school is felt worldwide and has been widely written about.

“But governments elsewhere try to accommodate these difficulties and attempt to make the transition as painless as possible, for teachers, parents and students,” she said, adding the best way forward is to be consistent with a clear list of dos and don’ts.

Education Minister Dr Radzi Md Jidin announced last week that the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination will begin on February 22 while the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) will start on March 8 next year.

This is the second time the SPM exam was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before this, the SPM was to be held on January 6 to February 9 next year, after being pushed back from the original scheduled dates of November 16 to December 7, 2020.

A total of 400,445 students have registered for the SPM for this year, 5,956 for the first semester of STPM or lower 6 examinations, and 47,008 for the third semester or upper 6 examinations.

Other major school examinations – Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) and the Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) – will also start on February 22.

Sharifah Munirah said the postponements, including internal and trial examinations have caused much distress among students, who are calling it quits as they lose interest and inadvertently, a grip on their future.

Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page), said despite Covid-19 numbers in Malaysia being lower than the rest of the world, the virus has become the main reason to dictate school closures nationwide and postpone major exams.

“According to the advice by Unicef, WHO and Unesco, where there are sporadic cases or cluster transmissions, most schools should remain open, but with strict preventive and control measures.”

Noor Azimah said a study by Ofsted UK, an independent office inspecting standards in education, children’s services and skills, found that children are regressing in basic skills and learning the longer they are prevented from attending school.

“The situation is further worsened (in Malaysia) by a greater number of dropouts as evidenced by the report by UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) which has seen a 7% dropout rate (9% among boys)”.

Another effect the constant postponement is the financial health of private universities.

“We cannot have ministers or agencies who don’t understand the effects of school policies, on university enrolment, recruiting, research, course delivery, assessment.

“The minister should contextualise postponements, rather than blindly enact or change policies without this long–term vision,” UKM’s Sharifah Munirah said.

She is also concerned that children will lose education time and to catch up with the “real world” once the economy stabilises.

Noor Azimah of Page said matriculation, colleges and public varsities, who are waiting for directives from the Higher Education Ministry, have to adapt and be ready.

“They could devise other means of admission, such as through an entrance test focusing on critical thinking and problem solving and/or previous academic records.

“It would be best that public and private tertiary institutions take control of the situation themselves without being overly dependent on directives from the ministry.

“The higher education minister needs to be advised and then determine broad directives. Stakeholders need to be consulted and heard and who will, in turn, put the wheels in motion.”

Sharifah Munirah said many academics are affected by the haphazard and unclear procedures.

“Our education system seems to be fractured. There are too many players at the ministry, agency and university levels. There is no leadership.

“Coordination is a serious problem, which explains why the education sector continues to be in disarray.” – November 15, 2020.