Life Lesson: There’s More To Life Than Exams! Scrap UPSR & PMR?
Today’s NST Headline: Majority want UPSR, PMR scrapped but more views on exams sought.
Please correct me if I am wrong but kids nowadays are missing their childhood years (or should I say pre-teen-hood years) because they are too busy attending tuition in order to score well in yearly exams. In my humble opinion, I support the plan to scrap UPSR and PMR. Our education system should no longer be exam-oriented. Our education system needs to produce well-rounded individuals and can we achieve so by having an exam-oriented system? A system whereby students need to go through a year’s worth of material to score well in an exam?
Of course, I have my own biasness because I wasn’t educated here in Malaysia and I have never sat for UPSR and PMR. I was educated in an International School, where it is not exam-oriented.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched Bernama TV and they did a voxpop asking students what they think of the government’s proposal to do away with UPSR and PMR. Most of the students interviewed were not supportive of the idea and one person said something along the line of “I want my 7A!!”
Is this what our education system is all about? Obtaining the most number of As for UPSR, PMR and even SPM? Of course, someone might argue back and say, “Of course you need straight As! How can you apply for Sekolah Asrama penuh, scholarships, loans, etc?”
I am not making a point on which education system, local or international school, is better because I believe each has its own pros and cons. Where ever you go, education is still education. The method might be different, but it’s about spreading knowledge to the younger generation.
Therefore, my knowledge of the local education system is limited to what I read in the newspapers and through the experiences of my friends.
What I can do is to share my personal experience as a student in an international school:
- The international school I attended was not exam-oriented (referring to Grade 6 – 12).
- Our grades were tabulated on a quarterly basis based on homework, tests, short quizzes, presentations and participation.
- Therefore, a lot of time are spent on making sure we do our homework, we do well in our tests and quizzes, we make sure our presentations are gempak and the more we talk and argue with our teachers, the better our participation mark.
- Semester grades were calculated based on the average of the previous two Quarters, and a semester test (if applicable).
- Report cards were personally given to parents on a dedicated day so that teachers are able to share the student’s performance with the parents.
- More importantly, there’s time to play after school.
One might argue that having an exam might reflect the student’s overall performance and to ‘throw out’ what he has learned over the past year. Even on the voxpop on Bernama TV, some of the students wanted an exam so that they know where they stand. Of course, that is a valid reason.
In my case, there are many other ways to measure a student’s performance. When it is exam-oriented, the students might merely memorize the facts, without really understanding what they are learning. Sure, they might need to go through a year’s worth of material in a single night for those that prefer doing last-minute studying, but what’s the point? In an international school, for instance, there’s a lot of emphasis on presentation and class participation so that the students really understand the subject.
Furthermore, this mentality of doing well in exams are taking so much personal time because these kids are expected to attend tuition after school. For some, this is followed by religious classes. Where is the time to play? Don’t tell me kids don’t play these days. When I was in my pre-teens, after school means 1) homework 2) play time 3) family time and 4) sleep. Quality time with the family is important especially when it is a norm today for both parents to be working. If parents are going back home late and students are stucked in some neighbour’s house with tuition, where’s the quality time?
At the end of the day, it is not easy to change an education system overnight. Look at the Science and Maths issue as a example. Should it be in BM or English? As stated by Education Minister Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, there will be a roundtable discussion before a decision is made.
Of course, such discussions will include important stakeholders such as parents and academicians, but perhaps students should also be part of the disucssion. Input from them is just as crucial as they are the ones that are going through the education system. The decisions that are being made today are for the benefits of Malaysia’s future generation.
Why produce straight As students, when we can produce well-rounded individuals. Kids should be kids. They should study hard, YES….but at the same time they need to play and enjoy their childhood. Along the way, they can be creative and acquire social skills, of which many are lacking nowadays.
