Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the suspension of the top heads of the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (LPM) today for leaks in the UPSR examination.

 

Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister, said LPM director Na'imah Ishak and her deputy in charge of operations Wan Ilias Wan Salleh have been suspended with immediate effect, national news agenct Bernama reported this evening.

"The education ministry must take urgent and firm action because incidents like this will raise questions about the integrity of the examination syndicateand the overall public examinations system in the country," he told a press conference after attending the 8th Asean Education Ministers Meeting in Vientiane.

Muhyiddin said Na'imah and Wan Ilias must take responsibility for the leaks as it has affected the integrity of the Education Ministry and the public examinations system.

Yesterday, an angry Muhyiddin claimed the leaks could be an attempt to sabotage his integrity as a minister.

The ministry has admitted that at least two examination papers were leaked, the Science and English language papers.

While the Science paper was aborted in time after the leak was discovered, students have already taken the English language paper and will need to sit for a fresh exam paper.

The Standard Six pupils will have to sit for the revised version of both papers on Sept 30.

The leaked questions were circulated via mobile application WhatsApp and several teachers and pupils reportedly received them before the examination.

There have also been speculation today that the Mathematics and Bahasa Malaysia papers were also leaked.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said the Education Ministry's deputy director  for teaching professionalism development Misrah Ibrahim will in the interim serve as acting LPM chief.

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