Kedah Education Department to conduct probe

KUALA LUMPUR Jan 26 - The Kedah Education Department would investigate allegations that a school in the state had substituted candidates during the 2002 Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

Education Ministry Director-General Datuk Abdul Rafie Mahat said Monday the State Education Department had been instructed to conduct a detailed investigation with regard to the allegation.

"The Ministry views the matter very seriously. We want to investigate allegations that Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Chapa in Kedah had substituted weak pupils with top Standard Five achievers to sit for the UPSR examinations," he said in a statement.

According to reports in the electronic and print media, the matter was highlighted by Ahmad Feshal Kassim, 44, the father of one of the alleged replacement candidates, who is now in Form 1.

Abdul Rafie said under the National Examination system, the Ministry was responsible to oversee the examination process through the Malaysian Examination Board, right from the setting of question papers to the announcement of the results.

"However, the pre-examinations procedures like the registration of candidates are the responsibility of the schools and the State Education Department," he said.

He said principals and headmasters ensured that every candidate was registered for the examinations. The state education department and the examination board would also monitor the process.

Apart from the Ministry, the State Education Departments, schools, headmasters and pricipals must take every precaution to ensure that the credibility of examinations was not tarnished.

MEANWHILE, in a related development, the Sarawak Teacher's Union Monday suggested the Education Ministry instruct all primary schools to issue identity documents with photographs for children sitting the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) starting this year.

Its president William Ghani Bina said the fact that pupils used birth certificates for identity documents could be misused, as in Monday's news report of a pupil asked to sit the UPSR for someone else in Alor Star, Kedah.

"A special card or letter of certification with the pupil's picture on it can prevent manipulation by irresponsible parties," he told Bernama in KUCHING.

The certification would allow the Ministry to monitor cheating in public exams among children who did not have proper identity cards, he said, adding that implementation did not have to depend on results of investigations into the Alor Star case.

"Whether the claim is true or not, the credibility of the UPSR has been questioned following the report and the Education Ministry must act fast," he said.

He said the image of national education would be affected if the proposal was not implemented immediately.

The Berita Harian Monday front-paged the claim by Ahmad Feshal Kassim, 44, that his son Mohd Shafiq was among 10 Year Five pupils forced by Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Chapa to sit the Year Six exam for others in 2002.

Ahmad Feshal said his son, who was now in Form One, was forced to sit the exam during that year as the school wanted good UPSR results.