PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today rapped the opposition for turning the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, which was decided to proceed as scheduled amid the northeast monsoon floods, into a controversy.
Anwar said that such a controversy should not have arisen as the welfare of all students involved in the examination had been well taken care of, and separate accommodation had been provided to facilitate their revision.
“It’s the decision of the MOE (Ministry of Education) to proceed with the exams, but the opposition wants to exploit this issue. As you know, we have faced this issue for decades, and we have not postponed exams,” he said in his speech at the presentation ceremony of Ihsan MADANI Donations, here today.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister also commended the authorities for providing temporary hostels for students affected by the floods, revealing that many students who stayed in these hostels had performed better in their examinations.
“I’m not suggesting that floods should happen every year. I’m just saying that these ideas are not bad, but of course, the opposition has been attacking (creating controversy out of this issue), I have to remind them, that this is an oral exam,” he added.
Anwar also thanked the various agencies, including the police, Armed Forces, Fire and Rescue Department and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), for their dedicated efforts in ensuring that students can sit for the SPM examination despite the ongoing flood crisis.
He shared that during his visit to Terengganu, he inquired about the number of households contacted by the authorities and was informed that the authorities had compiled a comprehensive list of all affected homes and had reached out to ensure SPM candidates would be able to sit for the examination.
“I was given assurance that 99.9 per cent of this year’s SPM candidates will be able to sit for the exam,” he said.
On Monday, MOE secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi reportedly said flood-affected 2024 SPM candidates are allowed to stay in hostels until the situation improves, making it easier for them to sit for the examination, which begins Dec 2 and runs until February next year.
He said the decision was made to ensure that flood-affected candidates could sit for the examination as scheduled.
