KUALA LUMPUR: The majority of parents support the reinstatement of national exams, with 60.2% backing some form of exam return, according to a survey by the UCSI Poll Research Centre.

From this total, 29.3% of parents favoured reinstating both UPSR and PT3, 21.6% supported the reinstatement of PT3 only, while the remaining 9.3% preferred the revival of UPSR alone.

Only 11.4% of parents preferred keeping the school-based assessment system, while 28.4% were ambivalent on the matter.

Parents made up almost 40% of the 1,512 people surveyed nationwide. The survey drew from a mostly urban demographic – 73.9% of respondents are urbanites, 10.6% come from suburban communities, while 15.5% are from rural areas.

Overall, 55.2% of respondents believe that standardised exams will maintain education standards, while 18.1% disagreed.

49.7% agree that national exams identify learning gaps early and serve as an objective benchmark of assessment, while 20.4% disagree.

Interestingly, 35.1% of respondents disagreed that the school-based assessment was a better alternative to national exams, compared to 31.6% who agreed.

The survey also shed light on concerns with the reinstatement of national exams. 37.8% agree that exams would increase student stress levels, 29% disagree, while 33.1% are neutral.

UCSI Poll Research Centre director Prof Dr Eugene Aw Cheng Xi said that the results reflect continued public concern regarding the development of a more structured and credible national education assessment system.

“Parents’ support for reinstating examinations reflects a lack of confidence in the current assessment system,” he said.

“The key question is why do members of the public doubt the rigour, fairness and transparency of the existing system?”

“If school-based assessment is perceived as weak, inconsistent or prone to bias, the relevant authorities must first address these structural issues.”

He added that greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening teacher training, moderation processes and assessment standards to ensure that examinations serve learning, rather than dominate it.