SHAH ALAM – The Education Ministry will disclose the precise number of absent students during the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2022 examination to prevent any further misunderstandings.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that the ministry is currently reviewing multiple reports on the matter, which will require some time to be finalised at the ministry level.
“This issue has persisted for a considerable period; it is a longstanding problem. However, this time, we are taking steps to ensure that SPM candidates attend and complete the examination,” she said during the closing ceremony of the Islamic and Malay Karamah Insaniah Convention, here, yesterday evening.
Fadhlina stressed that the ministry is also investigating various factors to address the matter.
She said that the ministry will scrutinise data from the past several years to determine the possible reasons for the high number of absentees during the exam.
“We are examining data from previous years to identify the underlying causes of the significant absenteeism rate during the exam,” she said.
“We understand that there are numerous factors contributing to the students’ inability to attend or their absence during the exam.”
Last week, Fadhlina said that based on the ministry’s initial analysis, the number of candidates who did not attend last year’s examination had increased compared to the SPM 2021 candidates.
In the previous year, out of a total of 392,837 registered candidates, 10,681 or 2.7% were recorded as absent.
It was previously reported that 14,858 or 3.8% of the 388,832 SPM candidates from last year who registered for at least six subjects did not attend the exam.
Regarding the issue of student dropouts, Fadhlina mentioned that there are separate underlying factors contributing to their absence during the exams.
“For students who have completed SPM and do not wish to pursue further studies, the ministry is exploring collaborations with several ministries to address this,” she said.
“Simultaneously, the industry needs to embrace and welcome these students, providing them with clear directions for their future endeavours.” – The Vibes, June 15, 2023
