UPSR

UPSR results are out today. I've received a few good news from facebook contacts.

Anyway, I'm not going to talk about on the academic A's as they are well defined. As of this year, the year six students also need to complete the aptitude test as part of the UPSR exam.

The one-and-a-half hour test had 60 multiple questions to discover the students' performance on thinking skills, problem solving and decision making abilities.

The grade of the test was listed on the pupil's UPSR slip but does not carry any weightage to overall performance.

The analysis showed that generally the students were better on thinking skills than the other two areas.

Education director-general, Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom, said that based on the analysis, students should be given more training in the under performance areas.

However, I am a bit puzzle on the implementation process as normally aptitude test is carried out as a prerequisite or to determine placement in certain institutions.

For example, I had to sit for the aptitude test as a prerequisite test before given a placed at a university to pursue a tertiary education. Thus, I am not sure on the implication of the result to the students.

If the education ministry would like to introduce trainings or courses in these areas, they should be projected for long term objectives. The courses should not terminate once the students finish primary school as secondary and tertiary levels are deemed more crucial than primary in a later life although the primary level should serve as concrete foundations.

Personally, I think the test or analysis is more practical to be introduced starting at secondary level as the students are more mature and their experience exposure in lives are wider.

Normally, according to one article on children psychology, it mentioned that kids are not able to think rationally until they are above 12 years old.