This piece of news is in The Star:
PMR declaration stirs anxiety
BY M. KRISHNAMOORTHY AND GAVIN GOMEZ
KUALA LUMPUR: The stating of a student’s religion in candidate slips used in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) has caused some concern among parents.
They are wondering why there is a need to identify the students as Muslims or non-Muslims in the slips, arguing that the information is irrelevant.
and an explanation was given by the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate director Dr Salleh Hassan which says,
this was a normal process as the information was required to determine the number of Moral and Islamic studies examination papers to print.
“It is for that purpose. We need to know who is sitting for Islamic Studies and who is sitting for Moral Studies,†he said when contacted yesterday.
A ‘concerned parent’ *ahaks* NOT ME, ok? had written to The Star and hopefully his letter will be published.
Letter to the press
The reply of Dr. Salleh Hassan on the issue does not hold water at all. The statistic on number of students who will be sitting for the Moral or Islamic papers could well be obtained from the schools. Is the Malaysian Examination Syndicate going to determine
by counting from the candidates slips????
The practice only create doubts in the minds of parents as to the marking process of examination papers.
Thanks.
Concerned PMR parent
As for me, I have no comment. My son whom I did not expect to score all As had gotten all As. Another son whose English is terror-merror scored a B. This son even asked me to protest to the examination board because he felt he had been short-changed. (We did not because it is only a UPSR exam la.) At the end of the day, an element of luck does play a part in our examinations, isn’t it?
What says you about this need to identify if you are a Muslim or non-Muslim? Does the SPM and STPM candidates need to identity their religions?
Please target your comments direct to the issue.
might as well put in household income, frequency of parent’s sexual activity etc.
I don’t think I needed to, but that was way long ago. I think they already know if you are Muslim or not from your student data. Maybe you’d like to write to the papers to ask this question?
No choice, they called me to fill that, so I had to fill that.
kiasi – Can put – No eye deer (no idea)?
totoro – The politicians are making a fuss now. See what is the outcome.
egghead – Yes, they do ask for household income. Every year also ask. Every year also we put the same figure. For the last 10 years. 🙂
if i remember correctly there was no need to state one’s religion during all these major exmas. i don’t see how this is relevant to the printing of exam papers; i thought the printing was done month(s) ago?!!
I thought it is determined from another list where you note down the papers you’re taking? I don’t understand why all other papers (that also need a certain amount to be printed) can be determined from another source, but these two papers need to be determined from religion…….
dunno if i was asked that question or not when i took my last exam w/ the ministry of education … weeeyyyyy 20 years ago.
but seriously that question is really not necessary and the given answer by the minister is totally a definite candidate for an “F”. hopefully someone will evaluate this minister and he don’t get that 1.5 mth bonus ! membazir bayar gaji lah ini macam.
Aiyo…. last year my PMR registry form also got this option, but why they didnt complain leh?
HAR???????????? LU SERIOUS KE? Last time in year 1999 manade kena letak wan? And the purpose of having an Angka Giliran is so that you no need to put your details adi so that your papers would be marked fairly and all. Now if subjective paper also kena put..then I can guarantee you that people would mark according to race.
*offtopic
They need to hire a PR person.Since when does the non bumi students sits for Moral Studies paper in PMR ? Hello?
I might be wrong,but i dont remember sitting for moral studies paper during PMR few years ago,and my bro is taking it right now,and he has no moral studies paper to sit for. lol
Yaya, my son also confirmed, tarak Moral studies. They only study, tarak exam wan. Ish, that means the guy doesn’t know what he is saying la?
S-Kay – Yalor, if want to segregate, say it terang-terang lah. No need to feel shy wan.
CLF – ‘Cos last year, 5xmom son tarak ambik exam. LOL.
ninuk – This is worrying kan? That the top gun also doesn’t know what subjects the kids are studying and taking exam for.
dd – Hope they have some explanations.
DG – Well, nowadays parents are very smart liao. They will pick on every little thing. Kiasu mah.
Now the SPM exam that I’m gonna take next month gives the option as “lain-lain”… Pendidikan Moral is a screwed up subject anyway… =\
i think when we filled up the SPM form a few months ago you had to put “1” if you were Muslim and “2” if you were anything else. or possibly my memory’s just really bad o_O
Get the news out. Every non-muslim just tick Muslim as religion, on every form, on every clause. Let them sue us. 😀
Chup.
My PMR was in 1999.
That time hor, no Moral studies one wo…
And yes, as for SPM, there was a need to state our religion. If you’re a Muslim, there, hitamkan ruang berkenaan. Otherwise, “lain-lain”, or “bukan Islam”. Make no mistake, there were only two: Either Muslim, or not.
I dread to think that it has got something to do with the leniency when marking.
I believe that the number of papers to be printed is based on the number of students who registered to take that paper. For example, Accounts was not made compulsory for me. But I registered to take that exam. Furthermore, the number of Muslim candidates can be estimated from data collected during registration of candidates, at the beginning of the year.
Hence, I am not satisfied with the explanation given by Dr Salleh Hassan .
IMHO, I always think MOE is running by bunch of social-responsibilities blind politikus. And even the university is runs by crustaceans life forms.
But you know it is the the majority ill-literated and oxymoron that vote them in place. Sorry lar..
The ministry has responded.
i agree with reallybites.
the first thing that came to mind while reading your post was :
since when we have moral paper for PMR?
besides, what is the point of filling in the registration form at the beginning of the year where we pick the subjects we are sitting for?
and there is also this part “keturunan” that we have to fill in for SPM candidates (can’t remember if we have to do so for PMR), and mine is printed out as “1-Melayu/Bumiputera”
not all bumiputeras are melayu, whatever happen to us sabahan and sarawakian? i’m a sino-kadazan with a chinese surname, but i’m no Melayu. it took me sometimes to decide whether to pick Cina or Melayu/Bumiputera while filling in the form. hmm..