KUCHING, Nov 2 — Sarawak Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn today expressed his gratitude to the federal Ministry of Education (MoE) for its assurance that discussions would take place with the state over its decision to introduce its own assessment system for Year 6 pupils.

He said he is looking forward to working closely with all stakeholders, especially the MoE and its state counterpart, to make the initiative a success.

"I believe that together, we can create an education system that benefits the students and Sarawak, and the nation as a whole,” Sagah said when responding to federal Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek’s assurance earlier today.

"I am pleased to acknowledge and welcome the positive response from the federal minister regarding her ministry’s support of Sarawak’s initiative to introduce its own assessment system for Year 6 school students in place of the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR),” he said.

Sagah said his ministry appreciates and welcomes the collaborative efforts of the MoE and the Sarawak Education Department in providing valuable input for the ongoing efforts to raise the quality of education in Sarawak.

He said it is essential for him to reiterate that the state government’s intention of introducing its own assessment system is to relieve teachers, parents, and students of undue stress.

"Instead, our primary goal is to put in place positive initiatives in shaping the future direction of education for our students,” he said.

He said such an assessment is vital in light of the current Dual Language Programme (DLP) on the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English, which the state government has implemented.

"The assessment will serve as a means to gauge the effectiveness of the DLP, as well as all other initiatives which we have put in place to increase uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools.

"With the assessment in place, we will also be able to identify areas for improvement and implement interventions,” he said.

Earlier today, Fadhlina was reported as saying that her ministry is open to discussions with the Sarawak government and the state Education Department on the state’s plan to introduce its own assessment examination for Year 6 pupils in government schools.

According to New Straits Times, she expressed her support for such a decision since it is aligned with the ministry’s direction, which focuses on holistic assessment rather than examinations.

Fadhlina was responding to Sagah’s statement yesterday that Sarawak is working on its own assessment examination for Year 6 students in government schools.

The new system centres on guiding students towards make well-informed choices between the science and arts streams as they progress to secondary school.

He said the assessment would bear some resemblance to the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), which was abolished by the Education Ministry in 2021.