It is a precious moment for 452,721 students who are sitting for Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) nationwide, for five days beginning from last Thursday (Sept 1) and ending on Sept 8.

From this total, 443,677 candidates are from government schools and government-aided schools, while 9,044 are from private schools.

The candidates for this year will be the first batch to sit for UPSR under the new syllabus, which is in line with the implementation of Standard Based Curriculum for Primary Schools (KSSR) that focuses on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS).

To date, the UPSR examination which includes disabled students, has run smoothly.

However, there have been trying instances such as the fire at SK Bario which destroyed its two-storey wooden building, and students sitting for UPSR in hospitals due to health problems.

Giving motivation to the UPSR students, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, who had observed the running of UPSR at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sodomon, Keningau wished the best for all UPSR candidates and hoped that they would be enthusiastic when answering the questions.