KUALA LUMPUR – The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 candidates not only embraced the new normal, but they have also created a unique history in the national education.
After going through the longest annual class session of almost 14 months, they are finally allowed to sit for their SPM examination after it has been postponed to 2021 from 2020.
Following the Covid-19 outbreak, the Form Five students in Malaysia could only attend their face-to-face class for about four months last year. They were forced to adapt to virtual classes through Google Meet, Google Classroom, Zoom or Skype following schools closure nationwide to curb the spread of the disease.
PIX: HAFIZ SOHAIMI / MalaysiaGazette / 22 FEBRUARY 2021.
This group of Form Five students, including those taking the Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) is the first batch of students taking a national examination under the new normal.
After much preparation, they kicked off SPM 2020 by sitting for their Bahasa Melayu Paper 1 and 2, beginning 8.00 am this morning.
Besides the usual stationery and identity card, this batch of students are also required to wear face mask, sanitise their hands and practice physical distancing while stepping into the examination hall as a preventive measure to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2020 (SPM 2020) students holding on to their stationery prior to sitting for their Bahasa Melayu Paper 1 examination at Sekolah Menengah Setiabudi, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.
PIX: HAFIZ SOHAIMI / MalaysiaGazette / 22 FEBRUARY 2021.
An observation by MalaysiaGazette at Sekolah Menengah (SM) Setiabudi in Gombak found that all students had to go through tight health screening at the school compound before they assemble for the SPM briefing session.
Besides body temperature checks, several teachers were also spotted to be waiting for the arrival of the students while ensuring that they use hand sanitiser as part of the standard operating procedures (SOP).
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2020 (SPM 2020) students sitting for their Bahasa Melayu Paper 1 under new normal at Sekolah Menengah Setiabudi in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.
PIX: HAFIZ SOHAIMI / MalaysiaGazette / 22 FEBRUARY 2021
Right after the briefing, the students recited a prayer before a student representative gave some words of encouragement before a cheering crowd.
According to the Principal of SM Setiabudi, Faeiza Jumari, 109 candidates from that school is sitting for the SPM today.
PIX: HAFIZ SOHAIMI / MalaysiaGazette / 22 FEBRUARY 2021.
She said, the long-awaited moment has finally arrived as the students stepped into the examination hall.
“The students could not wait to sit for their SPM and this is also the greatest challenge to the school and students nationwide.
“The preparation was rather challenging as we could not meet face to face and we could only focus on virtual classes. Besides that, we also organised the SPM 2020 Gemilang Project.
“We also got the cooperation from the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) to organise motivations programmes, online workshops and extra classes allowed by the Ministry of Education (MOE),” she said when met by MalaysiaGazette today.
Meanwhile, the PTA Chairman of SM Setiabudi, Datuk Azemi Mohamad Isa said that the parents hope for the best for the students sitting for the examination after they had to go through various challenges in learning.
PIX HAFIZ SOHAIMI / MalaysiaGazette / 22 FEBRUARY 2021.
Based on the feedback from the school, he said that approximately 30 students would excel in their SPM 2020.
For the record, the SPM, SVM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) are held in November each year. However, the national examination for 2020 was postponed to January 2021 initially due to schools closure before they were further delayed to February 2021 due to the second phase of Movement Control Order (MCO 2.0) to curb the spread of Covid-19. –MalaysiaGazette
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