KUALA LUMPUR – Following a startling revelation that 10,681 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2021 candidates had not attended the examinations despite having registered, questions are being raised as to how the situation came about.
The Malaysian Examination Board informed in a statement that 9,037 of the absentees, making up 2.3% of total registered candidates, are from schools under the Education Ministry – government agency schools and public religious secondary schools – and private schools.
According to National Parent-Teacher Association president Datuk Mohamad Ali Hasan, the ministry must hasten the post-mortem process on the matter to identify the reasons behind candidates’ absence.
The ministry should also make the necessary arrangements for the candidates involved to sit for the examinations,” the associate professor told Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.
“SPM 2021 was also held during a challenging year due to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing movement control orders, which saw candidates having to study online instead of the usual face-to-face method of learning.”
Pointing out that the SPM examination is vital for students’ future affairs, especially in furthering their studies and job applications, he urged the ministry to enact measures that will prevent such large numbers of absentees.
Meanwhile, national education laureate Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom theorised that the high figure of missing candidates might include private candidates who failed to show up for their papers.
Teachers in government schools are usually more attentive regarding candidates not attending or failing the SPM examination,” he told Getaran, adding that such educators would ensure students attend the exams as it is the national culmination of academic endeavours.
He explained that among the efforts undertaken by teachers would be to contact the students and their families, as well as personally meeting parents or guardians to impress on them the importance of the SPM examination.
“Whatever it is, all parties must wait for the ministry’s post-mortem that is expected to be conducted sometime soon,” he said.
Previously, Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin had said that the ministry will be carrying out a post-mortem to pinpoint the cause behind tens of thousand absentee SPM candidates.
“The ministry is analysing the data and will study the trends of previous years. If there has been an increase this year, we will take steps to avoid a similar situation in the future.
“The cause must be identified since the SPM 2021 batch was the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told a press conference on Thursday. – The Vibes, June 18, 2022
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