Putrajaya urged to consider alternatives for SPM exam

The Education Ministry has been urged to consider alternatives for the SPM examination for the year 2020 that has been scheduled to be held on Feb 22.

Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran said the ministry has so far failed to address concerns over the possible spread of Covid-19 at examination centres.

"With almost 400,000 students sitting for SPM 2020, there is bound to be a substantial impact on the exam timetable if the standard SOPs by the Ministry of Health for isolating close contacts and disinfection of premises are applied to the students, invigilators and schools," he said in a statement today.

As an alternative, Rajiv said the government could consider two options, the first being to use existing SPM 2020 trial results as the actual results, with adjustments to reflect fair assessment nationally.

"For this, the schools that were not able to complete the trial examinations should be allowed to do so," he said.

Secondly, he said, the ministry could also consider a student's overall academic performance since Form 4 in 2019, to be more inclusive of those who lacked support to properly complete the last school year.

Being one of the country's biggest examination, Rajiv pointed out that the SPM could be a key determining factor of a student’s future.

"As it is, some have or will be missing the application deadlines for tertiary education.

"Not to mention the possibly high student dropout rate this year, due to many being unable to cope with or partake in online classes," he said.

Similarly, Tanah Rata assemblyperson Chiong Yoke Kong also urged the ministry to look into SPM trial results data as an indicator for its decision on whether to proceed or postpone the upcoming examinations.

Chiong said the Education Ministry previously revealed that 2,004 schools, or 85 percent of all secondary schools nationwide, have completed their SPM trials, while 346 others are still pending.

"The Education Ministry must collect data for SPM trial results to study whether the students' academic performance right now is sufficient to face the real examination.

"The ministry can review whether to postpone the SPM examinations based on the current performance of the students, so that no student will be left behind due to Covid-19," he said.

Chiong noted that while the ministry previously said all schools had successfully completed the Form Five syllabus for last year, the performance of the students would be impacted by the online learning system, particularly those in rural areas or from lower-income families.

Dates for the SPM examination have been changed several times, initially scheduled from last Nov 16 to Dec 7 but postponed to Jan 6 until Feb 9.

Subsequently, the examination has been further postponed to Feb 22. - Mkini

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