State education, innovation and talent development minister Roland Sagah Wee Inn said this has been agreed to by the federal education ministry, with a circular being drawn up.

Sagah said English will be the medium of instruction for the Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics subjects.

This will first apply to Form 1 students in 2026, who would also have completed their primary school learning in English.

“Guided by our Sarawak Attorney-General’s Chambers, my ministry and the federal education ministry are in the process of formalising these agreed-upon points into circulars and regulations to ensure their adherence and continuity in the future,” he told the state assembly today.

The state minister also said Year 6 students in Sarawak will have to undergo assessments for the English, Mathematics and Science subjects from 2025. Form 3 students will have to undergo similar examinations from 2028.

This is to replace the UPSR and PT3 examinations which were scrapped by Putrajaya in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Sagah said the decision to scrap the major examinations “does not work in our circumstances, for now” in justifying the reintroduction of assessments for Year 6 and Form 3 students.

“So many of us here including me have gone through a series of robust standardised assessments and examinations during our school days.

“It worked well and, maybe, when the time is right with considerable achievement in development, such as ample professional development opportunities for teachers, the school-based assessment may be implemented again,” he said.

He said his ministry is finalising talks with an international accredited assessment provider over the assessments.

He also gave an assurance the examinations would not burden students, teachers, and parents.