KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — A teachers’ union suggested today that parents share some of the blame for the poor science and mathematics results in the Form 3 PT3 exam last year that saw only less than 13 per cent of school students scoring at least a C in both subjects.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Datuk Lok Yim Pheng also attributed the results to the different approach used in the PT3 national exam that tested critical thinking, compared to the previous PMR exam that was replaced for the first time with PT3 last year.

“Parents also must encourage children, guide them well and encourage them to take science subjects; cannot only say (sic) teachers must encourage children,” Lok told Malay Mail Online.

“Must see the child. Maybe the child is not sure, no confidence. So parents must explain to them, parents must guide them,” she added.

Malay Mail Online reported today that only less than 13 per cent of those who sat for the PT3 exam last year scored at least a C in both science and mathematics, according to the Education Ministry, even as Malaysia aims to achieve developed nation status in less than five years’ time by 2020.

The Education Ministry also revealed that the average percentage of secondary school students who qualified for the science stream, based on their results of the previous Form 3 PMR exam, only hovered around 30 per cent over the past 10 years, though Malaysia has been aiming for a 60:40 ratio of science/ technical/vocational and arts students since 1970.

Lok expressed confidence that both teachers and students would slowly adjust to the new format of the PT3 exam. All PT3 papers had subjective questions unlike PMR.

“This is something that teachers use as a guideline for future undertaking. Based on this, they have to adjust and adopt whatever necessary to improve the percentage,” she said.

Former Education director-general Tan Sri Asiah Abu Samah, who served from 1991 to 1993, also expressed optimism that PT3 results would be better in future.

“[It’s the] first time; naturally not used to it,” Asiah told Malay Mail Online.

“I feel that the new exam is a better exam because it tests more properly what they should have learned. Before, it was just ticking or shading the right answers. Now, they have to think—higher order thinking skills,” the retired civil servant added.

Asiah also said school students were generally unwilling to enrol in the science stream as they found science more difficult than subjects like accounting or economics.

“My time, the best they ever achieved was 35 per cent for science, and the rest, arts,” she said.

“Personally, I feel they shouldn’t be so hung up on the ratio, so long as the students are learning all the subjects,” the former Education director-general added, referring to Putrajaya’s 60 per cent target for the number of science, technical and vocational students.