The overall achievement of this year’s Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) candidates is the best in four years although the number of straight A scorers dropped slightly from last year’s, it was announced in Putrajaya today.  

Director-general of education Abdul Ghafar Mahmud, in announcing the analysis of the 2011 UPSR results, said 55.45 percent of the candidates obtained at least Grade C this year, up from the 54.38 percent last year.

A total of 46,012 of this year’s 485,160 candidates scored straight As, he said, adding that this was a 0.54 percent drop to 9.48 percent from the 10.02 percent last year.

“This year, the overall achievement of the 2011 UPSR candidates has improved and is the best in four years in accordance with the National Average Grade,” he told a news conference at the Education Ministry in Putrajaya.

Abdul Ghafar said candidates with the minimum achievement, of a D or E grade, also dropped, by 0.51 percent, from 3.39 percent last year to 2.88 percent this year.  

Commenting on the drop in the number of candidates who scored straight As, Abdul Ghafar said: “The decline is very small, only 0.54 percent. However, there is an increase in the number of those who achieved at least the minimum C Grade. Overall, those who achieved Grade D and E also dropped, meaning the results are good.” 

'Gap narrower this year'

He also said that the gap in the achievement by urban and rural schools was narrower this year, at 0.01, from 0.16 of the National Average Grade last year to 0.15 this year, and attributed this to the various measures implemented by the ministry to assist rural schools.

“I believe efforts by the ministry, such as the School Improvement Programme stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has had an effect.

“We mobilised excellent teachers to help out in the rural schools. The programme has shown results,” he said.

Abdul Ghafar said 1,329 candidates with special needs sat for the examination this year, and 17 of them scored straight As compared to 12 last year.

On the performance in Bahasa Melayu-Comprehension in national schools, he said the number of candidates who scored A rose 1.9 percent over the year but in Bahasa Melayu-Composition the number dropped 0.6 percent.

In the Chinese and Tamil national-type schools, candidates who scored straight As rose 1.3 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively, in the two subjects, he said.

In national schools, candidates who scored Grade A in English dropped 0.5 percent but there was a 0.4 percent increase in the number who scored Grades A, B and C taken together.

The number of candidates who scored Grade A and Grades A, B and C taken together in English in the national-type schools dropped 1.2 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, he added.

Abdul Ghafar said the performance analysis for Bahasa Melayu and English in national schools and national-type schools was done separately because the syllabi was different, with the syllabus content for both subjects in national schools being of a higher standard than that in national-type schools.

For Mathematics, there was an overall rise of 0.01 in the Subject Average Grade, from 2.27 last year to 2.26 this year while the Subject Average Grade for Science dropped 0.03 compared to last year, he said.  

The Subject Average Grade is an index used to indicate the performance in subjects, with the smaller value reflecting better performance. 

Aptitude test

Abdul Ghafar said 2011 is the third year that candidates sat for the Aptitude Test, performance in which reflects their mental preparedness and capability prior to entering secondary school.

The test is based on two skills, thinking and problem-solving as well as decision-making, and is evaluated in bands, from Band 1 (the lowest) to Band 4 (the highest).

The pupils’ interest and inclination towards the academic, technical and vocational, arts, cultural and social or sports fields is also recorded.

“The results of this test are not stated in the UPSR results slip but can be obtained from the schools. Parents are encouraged to obtain the information to learn of their children’s interest, potential and inclination,” he said.

- Bernama