KOTA KINABALU – A total of 36,432 students began sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations in Sabah today.
Sabah education director Datuk Mistrine Radin said that 33,453 students were from government schools, 1,297 private schools and 1,682 private candidates. Meanwhile, 738 students will be taking their Malaysian Vocational Certificate exams.
Mistrine said that she had yet to get information from the Sabah Health Department as to how many students were taking their exams in self-isolation.
“We do not have any data on those taking their exams at quarantine centres or hospitals,” the education head told reporters at the La Salle Secondary School.
Mistrine was making her rounds on the first day of the 2020 national examinations, which end on March 25.
It was evident that security at Sabah schools has been elevated to ensure the examinations run smoothly. Media practitioners were not allowed to enter school compounds.
Mistrine said that the classrooms in which the exams were held would be constantly sanitised as a measure to curb against a possible Covid-19 infection.
A total of 314 examination centres were opened, with 5,305 personnel roped in to supervise the exams. – The Vibes, February 22, 2021