Students who get grade ''E'' in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) have not failed, but rather, they have not attained the minimum level of mastery of a subject in the classroom learning process.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the grade ''E'' obtained by the students showed that they have to increase their efforts to ensure that they succeed in fully mastering a subject.

"The grade achievement in the UPSR has a scale from ''A'' to ''E''. Grade ''E'' does not mean they have failed in a subject, but instead it means they have not fully mastered it.

"It only shows they have not attained the minimum standard in their results for a certain subject at the primary school level...so in terms of knowledge, skills and value, more effort must be made to obtain excellent results," he said at the Dewan Negara sitting today.

Mahdzir was replying a supplementary question from Senator Khairul Azwan Harun concerning the confusion of parents who wanted to know more about the ''E'' grade in the UPSR results.

He said many parents questioned the status of the ''E'' grade obtained by their children in the UPSR examination.

-- BERNAMA