KUALA LUMPUR – Many parents and students have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2021 exam timetable scheduled for March next year.
They feel that the schedule from March 2 to 18 is too crammed, and does not allow students much respite in between sitting for major papers.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Wang Heng Suan agrees that the exam schedule is too tight, especially for papers that fall on Friday to Sunday.
“The current timetable is too crammed, and this might prove stressful for students as many had to prepare for their exams during pandemic times.
“It has never happened that SPM exams are scheduled from Friday to Sunday, this is a first. It might prove difficult to persuade teachers to be examiners on weekends.
“It is also not advisable to demand teachers to be invigilators during weekends.”
Last Sunday, annoyed detractors started an online petition on Change.org that has garnered nearly 22,000 signatures so far.
Petition organiser Anora AH, who directed the petition to Senior Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, said: “Please have mercy on our future leaders! They have been through relentless changes, and it is a pity to mark their 11 years of journey with this super hectic schedule.
“On one end, we are advocating for mental health, and at the same time, we have our very own Malaysian ‘Squid Game’ SPM schedule.”
SMK Sri Permata Parent-Teacher Association president Mohamad Zaki Samsudin, who has children sitting for the SPM exams, said holding certain papers back-to-back does not make sense as it is too taxing.
Zaki said he understands the Education Ministry’s (MoE) move to not extend the SPM exam schedule, given that the new school term for 2022/2023 is set in March.
“But the schedule for certain papers does not make sense. For example, Prinsip Perakaunan students will be taking Paper 1, 2, and 4 on the same day on March 6 (Sunday).
“I believe the ministry could include a few major stakeholders like NUTP and state education departments when drafting the exam schedule,” he said.
Meanwhile, parent Juliana Jamaludin said students will be stressed as there is no breathing space.
“There is no breather for many subjects, and students don’t have enough time to prepare. A more spread-out schedule, as seen in previous SPM exams, would help the students.”
Following the public backlash, Radzi today said a new exam schedule will be released soon.
“We (MoE) take into account all views expressed. I have had a discussion with the Examination Board and the ministry’s senior management to look into all viewpoints and statements made, and take the necessary action to analyse each view.
“God willing, we at MoE will issue a new schedule regarding SPM 2021 in the near future,” he said in the recording that lasted slightly more than a minute. – The Vibes, November 22, 2021
