Longest wait for exams comes to an end today

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 401,105 candidates for the SPM 2020 examination will be setting many firsts when they put pen to paper in the test that begins nationwide today.

Besides having to go through the longest annual SPM class session – almost 14 months – they only had face-to-face lessons for four months due to the switch to online learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

These SPM candidates as well as those for the Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) will be sitting for their examinations at 3,310 centres under new norms with strict standard operating procedures.

“This time, the examinations vary greatly (from those of the past). The SOP will be tight and very detailed to ensure that our children are able to sit for the examinations in a calm, comfortable and safe environment,” said Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.

A total of 48,014 invigilators will make sure that the SOP is followed to the letter.

All students are required to submit a health declaration form every day before entering the examination hall and have their body temperature checked.

They will also be required to wear a face mask for the duration of the examination.

Besides the main hall, there are also alternative and special classrooms for candidates who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms.

There are isolation and transit classrooms as well.

If there is a need for a hall to be sanitised, candidates will be diverted to spare classrooms to ensure there are no disruptions.

The SPM, SVM and STAM examinations are usually held in November every year but in 2020, these were deferred to January this year and then to February after a spike in Covid-19 cases forced the closure of schools.

School for 2020 Form Five and Six students only resumed on Jan 20 this year, a month before the examinations. — Bernama