Instead, the government is now focusing on improving the current academic session final examination (UASA) system for Year Six and Form Three students.

Fadhlina said the UASA, a school-based exam at the end of the school year, is designed to reduce stress for pupils compared to national exams, she said.

The UPSR and PT3 were abolished in 2021 and 2022 respectively.“The government will not backtrack on this decision,” she said in winding-up the budget debate.

“The UASA system is much better for the well-being of students and it reduces stress as it’s a low stakes exam. We ask everyone to give UASA some time. We are working to improve it, and it will become a better system for assessing students’ overall abilities,” she said.

She was responding to a question by Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) about concerns that the year-end academic exams are not being taken seriously by students.

Fadhlina said the UASA follows the ideas set out at the World Education Forum in South Korea in 2015, which focuses on improving education by using continuous classroom-based assessments that encompass not just academic skills but also personal growth and social development.