KUCHING, Jan 7 — The Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) today urged the Education Ministry to proceed with the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination as scheduled in February or March, even as Covid-19 cases rise.
Its chairman Datuk John Lau Pang Heng said the SPM is an exit certification and it plays a role as an admission criterion into institutions of higher learning, either locally or overseas.
“If the examination is assessed in the respective schools, the standard of assessment may not be uniform as the SPM examination,” he said, in reference to calls by politicians, including Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, for the SPM examinations to be either postponed or cancelled due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases nationwide.
He said 2020 SPM students spent most of their time off-classroom, adding there was less than 30 per cent face-to-face contact with their teachers and hardly a classroom school examination was conducted last year.
“If the award of SPM certificate is based on school assessment, SPA is of the view that it is very tough for the schools as well,” Lau said when contacted.
He said public examinations, including SPM, play a major role in defining and monitoring educational standards because their results are often used as output measures for accountability purposes.
He added public examination standards underpin much of the public debate about educational standards.
He urged the ministry to ensure students maintain social distancing of at least two metres and wear a face mask.
Lau said examination halls must also be sanitised every day to ensure that the students are safe from Covid-19.
