Abolish UPSR

taken from The Star (Sunday)

Abolish UPSR, says Umno Youth

By SIRA HABIBU

KUALA LUMPUR: UPSR should be abolished to check the examination-oriented mindset at a young age, Umno Youth vice-chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim said.

He said: “The tendency among pupils and parents to focus on ‘examination’ subjects was very worrying.”

Describing the trend as unhealthy, Razali said it was best that UPSR be abolished so that pupils could have a holistic learning experience at the primary level.

He said subjects that were not included in the examination list such as the Islamic Studies, Civics, Moral Education and Living Skills were not given priority at all.

“What is the point of including all these extra subjects when pupils only focus on scoring in English Language, Bahasa Malaysia, Mathematics and Science?

“As a result, they become weak in important subjects such as Islamic Studies that is crucial for spiritual development, as well as Civics and Moral Education aimed at promoting good ethics and healthy moral values,” he said after opening the Umno Cheras annual general meeting yesterday.

Razali, who is also Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, said UPSR was used as an assessment tool to facilitate entry into boarding schools.

“But the number of places available does not match the high demand as more and more pupils are scoring 5As.

“The Government should perhaps look at other ways of screening qualified students, such as allowing only top students from the schools to enrol into top boarding schools,” he said.

Razali also called for a stop to youth campaigns that starts with the word “Don’t”.

“Youths regard the word ‘don’t’ as a form of reprimand. Young people do not like to be told don’t do this or that, or don’t smoke,” said Razali.

He also called on national housing corporation SPNB and local authorities to look into providing “transit” homes or hostels for needy newlywed young couples in urban areas.

“Rentals for apartment units and houses in urban areas are mostly beyond the reach of young couples who are just starting to build their lives.

“Perhaps such transit homes could be built for them to stay between three and five years,” he said, adding that the one-room units should be built to discourage overstaying