NIBONG TEBAL: No candidates, particularly those from flood-affected states such as Johor and Pahang, have been stranded or prevented from taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Melayu oral exam, which began on Monday.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said there were a number of students in the states involved who had been placed in dormitories, with their movements being managed by related agencies.
"Even though there were floods, our SPM candidates were not affected. They still continued their examinations with the help of all agencies.
"If there were any candidates cut off (communication) and could not get to the examination centres, there were government agencies that helped these candidates to get to the examination centres," she said when met at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Nibong here today.
She said this when asked to comment on the ministry's preparations with regard to the movement of SPM candidates following the worsening floods in Johor and Pahang at the moment.
Earlier, Fadhlina, who is also the Nibong Tebal member of parliament, conducted a working visit to check on the arrangements following the four-day water supply disruption in the state.
She also visited SMK Raja Tun Uda in Bayan Baru and SMK Permatang Pasir in Permatang Pauh near here.
Fadhlina said, at present, there were no schools or examination centres reported to be closed due to the floods.
She expressed her gratitude that the SPM examination proceeded smoothly.
A total of 395,870 candidates are sitting for the SPM 2023 which began on Jan 8 and will end on March 7, involving three types of tests — oral, listening and written examinations.
The Bahasa Melayu oral test ended today while the English oral test will begin from Jan 17 to Jan 23.
The Bahasa Melayu and English listening tests will be held on Jan 29 and the written exam will begin from Jan 30 until March 7.
SPM 2023 involves 3,340 examination centres across the country and 129,636 examination officers to ensure the smooth management and handling of the examination.