KUCHING, May 1 — Sarawak is set to implement the Cambridge assessment for Year 6 students this coming October, said Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

The initiative, approved by the federal Ministry of Education through the state Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD), aims to enhance English proficiency among students while maintaining a strong emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia.

“This is not about neglecting our national language. It is about preparing our children to be globally competitive while remaining rooted in our national identity,” said the Premier.

He was speaking in London after witnessing the signing of an agreement between the Sarawak government and Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUPA), which will serve as the official assessing and qualifying body for the Cambridge assessment in Sarawak.

Following this ceremony, CUPA will be the assessing and qualifying body for the state’s Cambridge assessment, said a Sarawakku report today.

In recalling the era where Senior Cambridge Certificate (SC) and Higher School Certificate (HSC) had been the standards of educational qualifications for Sarawak prior to the implementation of the national education policy, he said many Sarawakians today are the products of these examinations.

In a post-ceremony media conference, the premier said the assessment would be administered by Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.

Representing CUPA at the signing ceremony was its Partnership for Education managing director Jane Mann while MEITD was represented by Swinburne Innovation Malaysia chief executive officer Prof George Ngui.

Among those present were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, MEITD Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, MEITD Deputy Ministers Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee and Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, and Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali. — The Borneo Post