SHAH ALAM, Oct 27 — Examinations should not be seen as the sole purpose of education, and schools should not be regarded as “exam factories”, said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies' (KITA) founding director Prof Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin.
“I think the term ‘exam factory’ sounds rather harsh. We are not, in fact, an exam factory. Examinations serve as a guidepost for what we do in schools,” he said.
Shamsul was responding to recent calls from various quarters for the reinstatement of public examinations following a rise in serious criminal incidents involving school students.
Malaysia abolished several public school examinations except for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), beginning with the Lower Secondary Assessment (PMR) in 2013, which was replaced by the Form Three Assessment (PT3) before its discontinuation in 2022.
At the primary level, the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) was abolished in 2021 and replaced with school-based assessments (PBS) and classroom-based assessments (PBD).
He added that schooling is not merely about imparting academic knowledge but also about nurturing humanity, character, and values through co-curricular activities and social interactions outside the classroom.
“We often forget that learning does not just happen inside the classroom. In fact, around 50 per cent of the learning process takes place through school activities like Scouts, Girl Guides, and other clubs.
"That is where students’ values and character are shaped,” Shamsul said.
He emphasised that the success of the education system should not be measured solely by academic results or examination achievements.
“We cannot take extreme examples and immediately claim that our system has failed. Failure does not occur only in schools; it can also stem from environmental factors, including family, peers, and the community, all of which influence students’ development,” Shamsul said.
He noted that every school subject inherently carries values and lessons that help shape students’ thinking and character.
“I believe that when we teach children, whether it is Mathematics, Science, or History, each subject implicitly contains values and moral examples.
“When we discuss heroes, for instance, that shapes students’ character through the narratives presented to them in their lessons. Ultimately, learning itself is a form of test,” Shamsul said.
Education is not merely about memorising or understanding content but also about internalising the values it conveys.
“Learning is itself a test, to see how well students can remember, understand, and internalise what they have learned.
“But not all students succeed in the same way. This is where confusion arises among parents, as many still view schools merely as places for their children to pass exams,” he said.
