JOHOR BAHRU: A student set to take her 2023 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination has vowed not to let the floods affect her performance in the all-important school exam.
Nor Syahirah Azrin, 18, a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kota Masai, Pasir Gudang here said that rather than allowing the floods to dampen her spirits, she views it as a challenge for her to carve a brighter future.
“Yes I do feel sad as I have to take the exam with my house flooded, but I don’t want ot make it an excuse. I want to continue striving and to do my best.
“I’m not going to be down because my brother took SPM in similar circumstances, so it can be said that this is normal for us,” she told reporters at the relief centre at Dewan Muafakat Kampung Cahaya Baru here today.
Nor Syahirah said that her home was flooded quickly within 15 minutes, innundating the bottom half of the two-storey house at around 6.30 am when she was getting ready to go to school.
“After the house got flooded, I couldn’t go to school but continued saving our stuff and important documents. Thankfully my textbooks and important notes were kept in a safe place, only my school uniforms are affected,” she added.
Fellow SPM candidate, Muhd Aidil Haqimi Abu Bakar, 18, said he was tired of having to deal with frequent flooding at his family home in Kampung Sentosa Damai, Pasir Gudang here but planned to do his best in his upcoming exams to fulfil his dream of becoming an army officer.
“The village is hit with floods frequently, some areas will be flooded just after one or two hours of continuous rain. Actually, I’m already numb, and I’m sad, of course, with my upcoming SPM and all,” he said.
The SPM Malay language oral test will take place from Jan 8 to 11, followed by the English oral test (Jan 17 to 23), the Malay and English listening tests (Jan 29), and the written examinations (Jan 30 to March 7).
There are 1,448 people in 13 relief centres in Johor as of 4 pm, and Kota Tinggi has the highest number with 748 evacuees, followed by Johor Bahru (359), Mersing (265) and Kluang (77). –Bernama
