DENGKIL: There is no need to hold a second session for the 2024 SPM examination as attendance of candidates for the Malay language oral test was very encouraging.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the overall attendance was 99% as of Tuesday (Dec 3), indicating the smooth running of Ops Payung for rescue purposes and ensuring that examination candidates could attend despite being affected by floods.
"Why do we need a second session when we can only have one session? So yesterday I stressed in the Dewan Rakyat that our preparations for facing this flood are under Ops Payung.
"We activate Ops Payung every year when faced with floods and it is the full strength of the government agency machinery to implement all guidelines during floods," she said after a groundbreaking ceremony for Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina in Bandar Gamuda Cove here on Wednesday (Dec 4).
Also present were Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh and Gamuda chairman Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
Fadhlina said the Education Ministry was satisfied with the implementation of the SPM which entered its third day after the evacuation and emotional recovery phase.
"On the third day, our candidates faced the oral exam and it went very well. So our next preparation is for the second wave (of floods) next week, so we will focus on that," she said.
She said preparations would continue to be focused on the Science practical test and the English oral test.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said the Education Ministry is also identifying candidates who are unable to attend the Malay oral test so that they can take the test until Thursday (Dec 5).
"There is no question of a second session because we can arrange it so far with the situation and the capabilities of our officers and agencies to ensure that everything runs smoothly," she said.
A total of 402,956 candidates are registered to sit for the 2024 SPM examination.
The Malay oral rest takes place from Dec 2-5, while the Science practical exam is on Dec 9, 10 and 12.
This is followed by the English oral test on December 16, 17, 18 and 19, the Malay language listening test (Dec 31) and English listening test (Dec 31).
The written exam will be held from Jan 2 to Feb 6, 2025. – Bernama
