Education Minister II Idris Jusoh has conceded that the government may have been overzealous in implementing the School-Based Assessment (SBA) system that led teachers to protest.

"The problem was in the execution. The government and ministry had shifted to the SBA as many complained that our system was too exam-based,” Idris said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

"That was the basis ... but I admit that, in our efforts to execute it, we may have become overzealous," he said.

Idris also admitted that requiring teachers to key in many descriptors into the online system had caused it to jam.

However, Idris said a new system which addresses these weaknesses will be rolled by out Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister I.

 

"It will be announced on April 1... the deputy prime minister will unveil a new SBA system that is more teacher friendly and is focused on teaching," he said.

 

'Teacher's transfer out of our hands'

 

Asked by Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai) about the transfer of teacher Mohd Nor Izzat Johari for leading a protest to call for the SBA system to be scrapped last month, Idris insisted it had nothing to do with the ministry.

 

"With regards to the teacher, the action was taken at the district level.

 

"The district education department has power to take action against any teachers who they deem to have been involved in wrongdoing without having to inform anyone (including the ministry)," he said.

 

Mohd Nor who is Suara Guru Masyarakat Malayia coordinator, was last month transferred to a school farther away from his residence a few days before the teacher's protest on Feb 22.

 

The teacher had complained that the SBA had forced them to spend long hours on data entry instead of teaching and this was made worst by the unstable system.

 

The government announced a suspension of the system a day after the protest.