KUCHING: A few days after she was born, Sandra Tiong lost her sight and never had the opportunity to see the world.
"My mother told me that I was a premature baby as she was 28-week pregnant when she delivered me.
“She told me that I was so tiny and weighed about 800 gram. They had to put me in an incubator in the hospital to monitor me and keep me warm.
“However, I became blind a few days later when I was still in the incubator. I wasn't sure about the cause," she said.
Tiong is among 286 candidates of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Batu Lintang, taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, which kicked-off today.
"I had to leave my hometown as there isn't any Pendidikan Khas (Special Education) in Kapit. So, I came here to study and I stay at the hostel.
“Although it is a different environment, I don't have much problems as the students and teachers here are helpful," said the 18-year-old from Kapit.
Tiong is taking six subjects for the SPM, included Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, Science, History and Moral Studies.
Although she had prepared for the examination for many months, Tiong said she still feels nervous and worried she might not be able to answer all the questions.
"I'm not sure how confident I'm but I will try my best," she said.
Suffering a similar disability is Dona Igoh did not give up his studies as he wanted to excel in academic too.
"Some might sympathised with me as I was born this way (blind). But, it's okay, I still can go to school and have friends, same as my peers," he said.
Just as Tiong did, Dona too left his village in Sarikei to the state's capital to study.
"I can't wait for the exam to be over so that I can go back to my village," he said.
Class teacher Stephanie Clare said there are six special needs candidates and they will be taking their exam in a different classroom.
"They will be given extra time, about 15 to 30 minute as they are answering the questions using Braille typewriters, thus, they might need more time," she said.
Meanwhile, principal Bahtiar Afandi gave a briefing to all the candidates before they enter the exam hall to ensure the students stay calm and do well in their papers.
Sarawak education department in a statement said a total of 37,092 candidates are sitting the exam at 263 centers set up statewide.
Of the total candidates, more than 90 percent or 34,444 are from national secondary schools, 1,083 from the private schools and 1,465 are private candidates.