Moving forward SPM elective subjects welcomed initiative
MIRI: The move by the Ministry of Education to bring forward SPM elective and non- core subjects to end of September or early October, starting next year, is a welcomed initiative, but a thorough study must also be done before and after its implementation.
Chairman of SMK St Columba Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Karambir Singh Honey said the proposal to spread out the examinations over a longer period was a good initiative.
“It will give our children more time to revise between their examination papers, thereby improving their grades, and also reducing stress.
“However, it is important that once it is implemented, studies must be done to monitor its effectiveness, and whether it can be fine-tuned,” he said when contacted yesterday.
SM Sains Miri PTA chairman, Nazri Ahmad Lai, meanwhile said the move needed thorough and structured planning.
“Although only some of the subjects are to be brought forward, it still can affect the students’ preparations to focus on the exams as elective subjects are also taken into account in the scoring
It will give our children more time to revise between their examination papers, thereby improving their grades, and also reducing stress.
system.
“Nevertheless, I hope the ministry will be firm on this and detailed study needs to be done so that we do not have to change the system the following year just because of failure of execution or objections from the stakeholders.
“It is also better to have it ( SPM) as it is but within a set period because if you want to take into account the monsoon season, September or October is appropriate. The same thing to note is the Form 3 Assessment (PT3) schedule which may need to be changed as well,” he said.
Iskandar Abdul Rahim, the SMK Baru PTA chairman, also agreed that a few of the SPM papers should be held earlier to avoid the monsoon season, but added an in- depth research must be done before making any changes to the SPM examination schedule.
“I hope the ministry will scrutinise the initiative before making the changes because the move could also affect other school activities.
“The ministry should also be careful in choosing the elective subjects to be held earlier because not all students are prepared for an early examination. Early exam results will cause students to feel demoralised if their results are not good,” he said.
Karambir Singh Honey, Chairman of SMK St Columba Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)