THE Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam begins on Monday. Schools close for the year on Nov 20 and 21. This means that officially, there are only three school weeks left for non-SPM classes before the year-end holidays begin.
The SPM students will be present in schools dutifully to sit for their papers, according to the exam schedules. But what about non-SPM students? It is a fact that absenteeism among them is very high during this period.
The PT3 (Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga) is over and done with by next month. Schools will also have completed the final-year exams for all Forms 1, 2 and 4. Papers are marked, graded and all report cards are given out before SPM begins. This is done so that schools can focus on the administration of the all-important SPM. Many teachers will be away for invigilation duties in other school centres. In addition to the exam hall (if the school has one), many classrooms are used as exam rooms. Even if a few classrooms are used, the whole block has to be cordoned off for readiness and security.
If all other students are to come to school, there will not be enough classrooms for them. This may lead to discipline problems.
Teachers should organise the non-SPM students for co-curricular activities and the like during this time. But in reality, it is hardly done and neither is it practical. Teachers are away either as invigilators or examiners are attending a variety of courses, some scheduled last-minute by the authority concerned to finish off the allocated budget. So non-SPM students who come to school are very much left on their own.
The SPM must be conducted in a conducive environment which calls for calmness, silence and serenity. So is it any wonder why some school administrators actually “wish” that the non-SPM students would not turn up for school during this period? Schools are short-handed to handle them safely and efficiently.
With calls to announce the SPM results earlier in the future, the need to conduct the SPM exam even earlier may soon surface. On the other hand, schools cannot keep “sacrificing” schooling days for non-SPM classes.
How may we go about solving this problem? Let me share my two sen worth of suggestion. At present, we have two midterm breaks, each of one-week durations. Are these breaks really necessary? We did not have these breaks before and during my schooling days. Moreover, schools nowadays often take extended festive holidays, which are very much like a mid-term break. Can these two-week combined midterm breaks instead be added on to the end-of-the-year school holidays? Besides, it will also allow the year-end holidays to begin earlier.
If properly planned and scheduled, I believe the Education Ministry can even time the beginning of the SPM to be the same as the beginning of the year-end holidays. This will certainly help eliminate a perennial headache of many school heads.
Liong Kam Chong, Seremban, Negri Sembilan