World · Malaysia Bureau
Malaysia maintains SPM grading system despite declining PISA scores
Malaysia's Education Ministry has defended its secondary school examination grading methodology, asserting it remains a robust assessment approach used by international examination bodies worldwide, even as the country faces declining performance in global literacy and numeracy benchmarks.
LSN Malaysia ·
The Ministry of Education has reaffirmed its commitment to the current grading system for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) examinations, brushing aside concerns about the nation's slipping performance in international standardised tests. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh stated that the existing methodology represents a proven assessment framework employed by leading examination authorities globally. The defence comes as Malaysia grapples with falling scores in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures reading, mathematics and science competency among 15-year-old students across participating nations. Wong emphasised that the SPM grading approach has been carefully developed and refined to evaluate student learning outcomes effectively. The ministry's position suggests officials believe external assessment results do not necessarily warrant immediate changes to the country's domestic examination framework, though education analysts have pointed to the disconnect between Malaysia's PISA performance trajectory and the consistency of its national grading standards as an area warranting further scrutiny.