KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 – Higher-order thinking questions will comprise at least 40 per cent of the questions for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination and 50 per cent of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination by 2016.
This change in examination design means the teachers will focus less on predicting what topics and questions will come out and drilling for content recall.
“Instead, students will be trained to think critically and to apply their knowledge in different settings. Similarly, school-based assessments will also shift their focus to testing for higher-order thinking skills,” according to the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the education minister, here, today.
In the implementation of the higher-order thinking skills, the curriculum, examination and assessment for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) will also be reviewed.
To that end, students will have additional instructional time and emphasis on the practical application of knowledge through laboratory and project-based work, especially for Science and Mathematics subjects.
To ensure that every student masters English language skills, the Education Ministry will make it compulsory for students to pass the English paper in SPM from 2016 in order to obtain their SPM certificate.
In meeting this requirement, the ministry is rolling out a variety of support programmes, including a set system of grouping and teaching students by proficiency levels.
To enhance the teaching of English, all 61,000 English teachers are also required to follow the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) in the next two years.
On efforts to produce citizens who appreciate the universal value and strong Malaysian identity, the plan stipulates that Islamic and Moral Education should be strengthened by focusing on unity and fostering stronger bonds among students.
Thus, each of the primary and secondary school students will have to participate in community service, while for secondary school students, this community service element will be a prerequisite for graduation.
In addition, student participation in One Sport, One Club and One Uniformed Body will also be strengthened, and to improve the quality of activities offered at each school, the ministry will provide targeted training to teachers who act as advisors for these different activities.
“The ministry will also look into making participation a requirement for graduation and scholarship for further education,” the report said.
– BERNAMA
