SHAH ALAM, July 8 — The Year 4 Learning Matrix Assessment is a timely initiative to measure pupils’ learning progress, following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said education expert Prof Ismi Arif Ismail.
He said the public education system needs a reliable evidence-based system to measure students’ academic competencies.
“Following learning disruptions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia requires robust evidence on students’ academic competencies, particularly in literacy, numeracy and foundational knowledge.
“In this context, the Learning Matrix has the potential to become an important policy instrument to improve education quality,” the Universiti Putra Malaysia lecturer told Media Selangor.
Ismi also advised that the assessment be used as a diagnostic tool rather than another form of high-stake exams.
“Its success should not be measured by the scores students obtain, but by how effectively assessment data are translated into meaningful interventions that improve teaching and learning outcomes,” he added.
Ismi also said the Learning Matrix is intended to identify learning gaps so appropriate academic support can be provided, unlike major exams like the previous Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) for Year 6, which determined students’ education pathways.
However, he cautioned that schools, parents, and tuition providers could eventually start treating the assessment like another exam, as its centralised administration and standardised procedures closely resemble UPSR.
“The challenge for the Education Ministry (MOE) is therefore not simply to design the assessment correctly, but to ensure its implementation does not unintentionally recreate the exam culture that previous reforms sought to reduce,” he said.
He also urged the MOE to consistently raise awareness that the Learning Matrix is designed to support learning rather than rank students or schools, and that it must ensure assessment findings are followed by well-funded interventions.
“Ultimately, the true success of the Learning Matrix will not be measured by students achieving higher scores, but by whether it enables Malaysia to build a more responsive, equitable and future-ready education system that supports every learner in reaching their full potential,” Ismi said.
Earlier, the Examinations Board revealed that about 400,000 Year 4 pupils are expected to sit the inaugural Learning Matrix Assessment, which will be conducted simultaneously nationwide from October 6 to 8.
Its director Ab Aziz Mamat said the assessment will cover four core subjects — Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and Science — with Chinese and Tamil language evaluations also administered for vernacular school pupils.
