No plans to scrap SPM, Fadhlina says it remains country’s highest school qualification

SHAH ALAM - Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek dismissed speculation that the government intends to abolish the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, stressing that it remains Malaysia’s most important school-leaving qualification.

“The government has no intention of abolishing SPM. It is the highest certification in Malaysian schooling,” she said.

She noted that while public debate has arisen due to the abolition of Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), these assessments were fundamentally different.

UPSR functioned as a test, while Form Three Assessment (PT3)— which replaced PMR — was a form of ongoing assessment.

“We still have exams like the Academic Session Final Test (UASA), as well as special assessments for entry into Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) and fully residential schools,” she said during the Kerusi Biru podcast.

Fadhlina reiterated that modern assessment methods were designed to capture students’ abilities more holistically rather than relying solely on standardised tests.

“Assessments are more effective because they do not just measure students through exams.

“Every child has different attitudes and talents and holistic assessment helps us understand them better,” she said.

She also said the Education Ministry’s current direction was yielding clear progress, particularly in teacher placement, upgrading dilapidated schools and reducing administrative burdens on educators.

Fadhlina stressed that addressing teacher shortages remained a top priority as it directly affected classroom learning.

“It would be a disaster if we do not have enough teachers and it will impact students in the classroom.

“But the Madani government has managed to fill 98 per cent of teaching positions over the last three years. This effort cannot stop — we have to continue addressing shortages back to back,” she said.

Fadhlina also highlighted significant progress in resolving issues involving dilapidated schools, noting that the government has consistently allocated funds across three consecutive budgets to tackle the problem.

“No previous administration has shown this level of commitment in addressing dilapidated schools,” she said, adding that current upgrades demonstrated “very good progress.”

On teacher’s workload, she said easing teachers’ workload has been a longstanding challenge inherited by every government, but the ministry has taken concrete steps to improve educators’ wellbeing.

“In the first year of the Madani government, we introduced seven measures to reduce teachers’ workload. In the second year, we introduced the Teacher Wellbeing Index,” the PKR lawmaker said.

She added that the ministry has also abolished the requirement for teachers to fill in the Student Discipline System (SSDM) student behaviour form, a move aimed at further reducing administrative tasks.

The ministry is also working to reduce the number of students who choose not to sit for the SPM examination.

“In the first year, the number was around 10,000. In the second year, it dropped to 8,000.

“We are studying further steps to continue lowering this figure,” Fadhlina said.