KUALA LUMPUR: The decision on whether to do away with the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) will be made this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said roundtable discussions on the matter would begin “as soon as possible” and all relevant parties would be invited to give their input.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the discussions were important as detailed input was needed to obtain an accurate picture of the situation.

“The discussions will start very soon and I have instructed the ministry director-general (Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom) to make the necessary arrangements.

“I will make the decision this year as to whether it will take effect next year or later,” he said at a press conference after launching the National Pre-school Education Conference 2010.

Muhyiddin added that his ministry was encouraged with the public response aired in the media.

“We have received a lot of positive feedback, not just from ordinary citizens but also education experts.

“Some want the UPSR to stay but the PMR to go as the SPM provides for secondary school assessment.

“We will study their opinions and take the suggestions into account in the roundtable talks.”

Describing the move as a “restructuring process”, Muhyiddin said that the public had nothing to worry about as assessment would still be done in school.

“Parents want to know how their children are performing and what we are trying to do is to come up with a more accurate and relevant assessment system,” he said.

He added that the ministry would consider increasing the weightage for co-curriculum if the two exams are scrapped.

On June 20, Muhyiddin said the two exams could be abolished to remove the pressure of an exam-oriented education system on students.

In 2007, former Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein called for public feedback on the matter, saying that the ministry was moving in the direction of term-based assessment.