KUALA LUMPUR: The abolition of the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and the Form Three Assessment (PT3) tests in the national education system is being carried out to ensure that school-based assessment (PBS) can be implemented effectively.

Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said the implementation of PBS is not new as it already started in 2011, however, teachers still focus too much on examinations to ensure students obtain excellent results.

"When there was a plan to abolish the exams, people asked how could we abolish (the exams) as we are not ready with PBS. In fact, PBS has been implemented since 2011.

"This matter has been in the system for more than 10 years, and if (after) 10 years (it) cannot be implemented, maybe 30 to 40 years later we are still not ready then... this (happens) because teachers' focus is on exams with a focus on ‘latihtubi’ (drills),” he said.

He said this in his speech at the Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025: Education Transformation Forum, themed ‘Satu Pengalaman Kolektif, Tanggungjawab Bersama’ (One Collective Experience, Shared Responsibility) here on Monday (Aug 8).

Also present was Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.

Mohd Radzi said the abolition of UPSR and PT3 is also to ensure that teachers can implement Teaching and Learning (PdP) in a more creative and innovative way, to ensure a more enjoyable learning environment.

"That is why we are doing the transformation that we see as a whole, not just the abolition of UPSR and PT3, but how to train teachers to be more creative by seeing how digitalisation can help,” he said.

The one-day forum is organised by the Education Ministry's (MOE) Education Performance and Delivery Unit (Padu), in collaboration with the MOE’s strategic partners, namely Google For Education, Apple Malaysia, Digi, Microsoft Malaysia, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation and the Health Ministry.

The forum also served as a platform for sharing ideas related to the current situation, the latest direction to improve the quality of the country's people-centred education and bringing the ‘access in education’ concept into the mainstream.

Apart from the sharing session on the main stage, various future-forward activities were also prepared by strategic partners who are involved in the implementation of educational transformation, with the help of students and teachers from selected schools. - Bernama