Referring to an exchange between the pair in the Dewan Rakyat, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Anuar Ahmad said it was apparent that neither was willing to take responsibility for the ministry’s decision to abolish the major exams.

The educational sociologist said this reflected uncertainty as to whether abolishing the exams had been the right move, adding that they would not be blaming one another if they were confident about the decision.

“They both stressed that the abolition of UPSR and PT3 wasn’t their decision. In the end, the buck was passed to the education ministry itself.

“As a leader, when making an important decision, think rationally. Seek the advice of those who understand the issue, and listen to the people before making a call.

“If your decision is right, it will be praised and respected by the people. But if it’s wrong, then take responsibility for your mistake. There’s no need to blame others,” he said in a Facebook post.

Anuar said he believed that UPSR should be revived to gauge the basic education level of primary school students, but not PT3.

“If the government wants to continue with classroom-based assessments, please, go ahead. As long as we are truly ready,” he added.

UPSR was abolished in 2021 while PT3 was cancelled in the same year and officially abolished in 2022, when Radzi was the education minister.

Fadhlina has repeatedly said that the government will not reverse its decision to abolish the examinations.

She said the government’s attention was instead on strengthening the current final examination system in the academic session for Year Six and Form Three students.

The ministry has completed an impact study on the abolition of UPSR and PT3, although this has yet to be released.