The SPM top scorers with Chow (centre) holding the mock cheque. — Photos: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Teenager Sharvin Mogan kept a flexible study schedule but had a goal that he worked towards.
And it’s mission accomplished when he scored 9A+ in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
“I did not have a rigid timetable to prepare for the examinations,” he said.
“I took tuition for all subjects except Mathematics, History, and Moral Studies.
“What I did was set a target and work hard towards it,” he added.
Sharvin, 18, aspires to be a doctor and has applied for a place in the matriculation programme at one of the public universities.
The Bukit Mertajam High School student said consistency was important to ensure success.
Sharvin with his father A. Mogan, 57, and mother Dr Hema Praba Retenam, 46.
He was among 100 students from 23 schools on the Penang mainland who received awards at the “Top Scorer SPM 2023” appreciation ceremony held by the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) at C-Mart Nibong Tebal.
At the ceremony, Bukit Mertajam High School was the biggest winner, with 40 of its students among the 100 recipients.
Sharvin also won a gold medal, laptop and RM500 cash for being the best student, with 9As.
All the recipients were rewarded RM500 each for their success in SPM.
PHEB deputy chairman Senator Dr A. Lingeshwaran said this was the first time the board organised such a ceremony.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the state government for helping all these years,” he said.
Lingeshwaran, who oversees the education bureau of PHEB, said another 59 students with excellent SPM results from the island would receive the award at Komtar on July 13.
Presenting the mock cheque to the recipients was Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who congratulated the students for scoring a minimum of 7As in SPM.
“I would like to congratulate their parents, guardians, schools and society at large for playing important roles in their success,” he said.
Chow said the state government had always emphasised education and administration, believing that good education and knowledge could produce a strong character and an open mind, which would subsequently create a good society.
He said although education was under the purview of the Federal Government, the state government continued to find ways to assist children in terms of support and financial aid.
“This is to ensure no child will be marginalised and left behind,” he said, adding that Penang government welcomed initiatives from the PHEB committee, which had strived to empower the community since 2008.
Chow said the state government, through PHEB, had various educational assistance programmes for students from the low-income group.
“This year alone, PHEB allocated RM52,700 to 56 Penang children who have successfully continued their studies at higher education institutions,” he said.
Also present during the event was Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying.
