THE 2025 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results have reached their strongest level in five years, underscoring the resilience of a cohort that completed their schooling without sitting earlier national examinations and amid pandemic disruptions.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the improved performance demonstrated the adaptability of students who did not sit the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah or Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga, traditionally key milestones in the national education system.
"I see this as a cohort or generation of students that has often been discussed because they did not sit any major examinations before this.
"But we take a more positive view, looking at what is happening in the context of the national education system — particularly how these results prove that they are a generation or cohort of students with very strong resilience," she said.
The 2025 cohort also endured prolonged periods of home-based learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, making their academic achievements particularly notable.
Earlier, Education director-general Mohd Azam Ahmad announced that the national average grade improved to 4.42 from 4.49 in 2024, indicating better overall performance.
A total of 13,779 candidates achieved straight A grades across all subjects.
Fadhlina credited the results to sustained intervention measures and the collective efforts of educators and school communities nationwide.
"I am truly proud of them because they have gone through various challenges, including COVID-19 and more, and today they have proven their very strong resilience alongside the support from all the interventions we implemented.
"Overall, they have shown that the challenges they faced previously have given them the strength to achieve very good results today," she said.
She added that the ministry would continue targeted interventions and performance dialogues to sustain improvements in future cohorts.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh urged eligible school-leavers to consider entering the teaching profession through the Bachelor of Education programme at Institutes of Teacher Education, noting that applications for the 2026 intake remain open.
"We are accelerating this recruitment to meet demand in the teaching field. For Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK), we, together with Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees' Association) and Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers' Association), are actively promoting this opportunity.
"Through this programme, SPM graduates who enter IPG will undergo a five-year course of study and, by 2030 or 2031, will be able to graduate as teachers for national schools as well as Chinese and Tamil SMJK," Bernama reported him saying.
The intake quota has been increased to 9,800 places, up from between 5,000 and 6,000 in previous years, as authorities seek to address teacher shortages.
In a further sign of improvement, results for the Chinese language subject also recorded a one per cent increase, with 40,888 of 46,046 candidates achieving credit passes.
Officials said candidates meeting the entry requirements, including strong academic results and co-curricular involvement, are encouraged to apply before the closing deadline later this week. - March 31, 2026
