PUTRAJAYA, Sept 4 — Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik today wished candidates sitting for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) the best of luck and advised them not to get stressed when answering questions.

A total of 445,641 candidates registered to sit for the UPSR this year at 8,076 examination centres nationwide.

Maszlee, who was conducting a survey at Sekolah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 8(1) here, also advised parents not to put pressure on their children.

"I find the parents more anxious than the children, so I advise them not to put too much pressure on their children as it is bad, they (students) are already trying to do their best,” he told the media during the survey.

The 2019 UPSR will be held on September 4 and 5 and continue on September 10,11 and 12.

Maszlee said the UPSR was just one component of the assessment for primary schools, besides other assessments, namely classroom assessment, physical activity, sports and co-curriculum assessment and psychometric assessment.

Meanwhile, commenting on some who questioned the National Laureate award, announced yesterday, Maszlee said it was normal.

Yesterday, writer and cultural arts researcher Prof Dr Siti Zainon Ismail was named the 14th National Laureate.

"The fact is that the candidate was selected based on merit and the achievement has been recognised by literary enthusiasts,” Maszlee said. — bERNAMA