PETALING JAYA: More time should be given to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2023 candidates to prepare for the examinations, said parents and students following an announcement that the examinations will start from December.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said a better transition plan should be introduced to ensure that students and teachers are better prepared.
“Though all Melaka schools were told to finish the syllabus by mid-September, it is definitely too rushed for our teachers and students,” he said on the Education Ministry’s SPM 2023 examination dates.
In a Facebook post yesterday, the ministry announced that the SPM 2023 exams will take place from Dec 5 to Mar 7 next year – earlier compared to the SPM 2022 examinations, which were held from Jan 30 to Mar 15 this year.“I do not feel that it is fair for the teachers and SPM students this year. I hope that the sudden change will not jeopardise the students’ desired results,” Mak added.
SPM candidate Nur Fatin Syahirah Ruzaime Effendi, 17, expressed concern about the time left to prepare for the examinations.
“A big part of me feels really overwhelmed by this year’s SPM being moved to an earlier date.
“Considering the fact that this year’s schooling session started in March, we only have less than a year to prepare for the exams.
“I am extremely anxious because by the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like the syllabus can be covered in time before examinations start,” she said.
Kreesan Bathmanaban, 17, said he would need to make many changes to his plans if he were to adapt to the dates.
“We started our new syllabus in March and there have been a lot of holidays. I think most of us are behind schedule, but are made to sit for our examinations earlier even though we do not have enough time to finish our syllabus.“There are many factors that play a part in being fully prepared for the examinations. If I were to sacrifice my mental health and break times, it would put a lot of strain on my well-being,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) supports the given dates as it would allow the ministry to begin school terms in January again starting in 2026.
“Parents would also prefer if the school term began in January and that is why we support the ministry’s initiative,” said the union’s president Aminuddin Awang.
He added that the year-end floods would not be an obstacle for students to take their SPM exam since it had been conducted around November and December before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am sure that the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate has taken proactive measures towards solving potential risks.
“It must have already identified the possible risks and steps to overcome them, too.
“If the floods were to occur, they would already have alternative exam locations,” he added.
On May 23, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek told the Dewan Rakyat that the 2024/2025 school session will start in March next year while the 2025 session will commence in February 2025 to allow for the new school session in 2026 to revert to January, as it has been previously.
