At the time of writing, our country has achieved history in the education landscape. Two major exams have been abolished within 2 years. The abolishment of UPSR in 2021 is followed by the abolishment of PT3 in 2022.
PT3 a.k.a. Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 was introduced in 2014 to replace PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah), a centralised written examination.
This move to replace PMR was to remove the emphasis on exam-oriented education and shift towards a more holistic assessment. However, in June 2022, PT3 was abolished for similar reasons.
What is used to replace PT3?
In place of PT3, PBS (pentaksiran berasaskan sekolah or school-based assessment) will be used to evaluate students. PBS comprises both formative and summative assessments.
In formative assessment, students are assessed throughout the year via three methods,
- classroom assessments (Pentaksiran Bilik Darjah, PBD)
- sports and co-curricular assessments (Pentaksiran Aktiviti Jasmani Sukan Kokurikulum, PAJSK)
- psychometric assessments (Pentaksiran Psikometrik, PPsi)
Each subject teacher will assess and review students’ efforts and achievements. The reviews will be compiled by the class teacher into a report for the parents.
For summative assessment (also considered the final year examination), teachers will extract questions from a question bank provided by the Ministry of Education. This is to minimise the difference in the standard of examination questions prepared by different schools.
Why the abolishment of PT3?
The three aspects outlined below are just some of the arguments behind the abolishment of PT3. However, upon scrutiny, questions arise about whether these goals will be met or will the same problems simply resurface.
(i) To move away from exam-oriented education
Image from: https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2014/12/18440/pt3-pupuk-kemahiran-berfikir-aras-tinggi
When PMR was abolished in 2014, PBS (school-based assessments) was introduced alongside the PT3 examination. However, the lack of a clear understanding of PBS caused most students and parents to focus on the PT3 examination. Despite the presence of other components, the exam-oriented culture remained with an emphasis on PT3 results.
Now that the PT3 examination has been abolished, the main concern is that the focus will instead shift from PT3 results to the school-based examination results which will continue to fuel an exam-oriented mindset. Will this then result in less emphasis on other components such as PBD and PAJSK?
(ii) to remove the mental and emotional stress that comes with exams
The abolishment of PT3 would remove mental and emotional stress on preparing for the exams. Students are not under pressure to study three years’ worth of syllabus to sit for an examination which could determine the subjects that students are allowed to take in Form 4.
However, would this then increase the pressure on students sitting for SPM? Since they would not have had the experience of going through any previous high-stakes examinations, will the PT3 abolishment end up increasing the emphasis on SPM and subsequently the pressure placed on Form 5 students?
(iii) reduce the burden on teachers
PBD has already been executed before the abolishment of PT3 where teachers assess students based on set standards (DSKP) with guidelines for teachers to assess students based on their level of mastery or tahap penguasaan (TP). However, the giving of TP is subject to interpretation and involve a high level of discretion. If a student is unable to read but able to answer the question that was posed to them verbally, how should they be graded?
Besides dealing with grading dilemmas, PBD in its current form often ends up adding the paperwork burden on teachers as a lot of students’ marks need to be keyed in separately. Teachers will also end up writing multiple reports which would take time away from teaching and lesson planning.
Moving forward: Lessons From Finland
The Finnish education system is often praised for various reasons including its more holistic take on education that far differs from ours. However, to emulate the Finnish system or one that is less exam-oriented, we still have a long way to go even after the abolishment of PT3. To succeed, there are some things that we can learn from Finland. Here are some aspects for us to look into to facilitate the transition and improve our existing structures.
Outstanding teacher preparation
In Finland, only the top 10% of Finland’s high school graduates are accepted into the five-year master’s degree teacher education program. To enter the program, one has to undergo rigorous interviews and tests that select individuals with a combination of the right personality, advance interpersonal skills and the right moral purpose to become lifelong educators. Therefore, only the best are chosen to teach.
To emulate Finland, individuals with the best grade point average and extracurricular activities should be encouraged to apply to become a teacher. However, there should be various reasons to convince them to be one. Firstly, we can start by improving the support for teachers. An example is the low teacher-to-student ratio.
Low teacher-to-student ratio
In a typical Finnish classroom, the teacher to student ratio is 1:14, while in Malaysia, it’s around 1:40. PBS can be more effectively implemented with a smaller class size so that teachers can pay more attention to students individually and assess them more effectively.
A culture of trust and teacher support
In Finland, after a rigorous selection of the best people to teach, teachers are given a lot of autonomy on designing their own lessons and evaluating their students’ learning progress. There is a low level of accountability and standardised testing that reduces the amount of unnecessary stress both on students and teachers.
Teachers also spend lesser time teaching and more time on planning how to improve teaching methods, interacting with the community and other teachers to exchange knowledge and make decisions regarding the curriculum and syllabus.
In Malaysia, teachers should be given more time and autonomy to design their lessons, evaluate students’ progress and discuss best teaching practices. This could also be in the form of reducing external inspection and lesser teaching time that translates to discussing and exchanging best teaching practices.
Career guidance
In Finland, career guidance and counselling is provided throughout their lower and upper secondary education to bridge the gap between formal education and the workplace. Students are provided with guidance on whether to continue with upper secondary, join a vocational school or find employment.
Here in Malaysia, especially when centralised exams are removed, career guidance should be emphasised to not only guide students in making the best choices for their future but also to help them connect the dots between study and work. To achieve this, more counsellors should be trained in providing career guidance and placed in schools.
Other Challenges
One possible difficulty in emulating the Finnish education system is due to its social values. When Finland was reforming its education system, it was also resolving the issue of equity in its society. One commitment is to provide a high-quality education for all students regardless of their socioeconomic background. This is demonstrated through the provision of free school lunches, welfare services and early support to students. When equity is resolved, then only its education system can be reformed. The success of Finnish education cannot be boiled down to a single factor. It is not possible to extract one component of the Finnish system and fit it into the system, expecting it to generate the same quality.
Concluding Thoughts
Our country has done well in recognising that education is not solely based on rote memorisation and scores but rather a lifelong learning and holistic development. However, one needs to wonder, will scrapping PT3 exams end the exam-oriented culture that is so deeply ingrained in the community? Does our country have the structures in place to transition to school-based assessment?
How would a chair without legs be? It will fall apart.
© Kimberly ’19 – July 2022
Editor Note: The opinions expressed in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Teach For Malaysia and the TFM Alumni organisation or any other members of the community.
Teach For Malaysia Alumni Network 