KUCHING, May 1 — Sarawak is set to implement a standardised Ujian Penilaian-Dual Language Programme (UP-DLP) assessment for Year 6 students this coming October, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The UP-DLP assessment will encompass science, mathematics and English examinations, and will involve papers to be verified and vetted by the Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP&A).
It aims to nurture students to be proficient in English and equip them with qualifications recognised internationally, he said before witnessing an agreement signed between the Sarawak government through the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) and Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP&A) in London.
Abang Johari said such a move would not neglect the emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.
In recalling the era where Senior Cambridge Certificate (SC) and Higher School Certificate (HSC) had been the standards of educational qualifications for Sarawak prior to the implementation of the national education policy, he said many Sarawakians today are the products of these examinations.
In a post-ceremony media conference, the premier said the assessment would be administered by Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.
Representing CUP&A at the signing ceremony was its Partnership for Education managing director Jane Mann while MEITD was represented by Swinburne Innovation Malaysia chief executive officer Prof George Ngui.
Among those present were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, MEITD Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, MEITD Deputy Ministers Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee and Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, and Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali. — The Borneo Post
