SIBU, March 5: The strategy of continuous study and revision has paid off for SMK St Elizabeth’s 2019 cohort of Form 5 students.
School principal Clement Chieng revealed that they did not give the students time off from study but recalled them to continue their revision even right up to the day before the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam.
The students and teachers’ hard work were rewarded when the school placed top in Sibu Division for the 2019 SPM exam. At state level, they came in third after SMK Sains Kuching Utara and SMK Sains Miri in first and second place respectively.
The school also achieved 2.42 school average grade (GPS) as compared to SMK Sains Kuching with 1.91 and SMK Sains Miri (2.04).
Twenty-one students scored above 9As, with one scoring 12As and another one 11As.
“This result is shocking to us as we had never expected it considering that this batch of students was the weakest among those from the previous years,” Chieng revealed today after SPM results were announced.
He also disclosed that the school was concerned about the students’ performance based on the results of the four internal exams held by the school. Additionally, the majority of the students could not afford to go for tuition and were also “not very academically inclined”.
However, what they did have in spades was the grit to work hard as well as the support of their teachers and parents. Chieng said the students were trained to study three hours daily and set their sights on becoming one of the state’s top performing schools.
He added that the school took the view that it will take care of every one of its students and make sure that they leave school with a good SPM certificate reflecting their potential; a good character with life values like kindness, respect, diligence, and leadership; and good manners.
It is thus no surprise that SMK St Elizabeth also ranks highly in extra co-curriculum activities such as athletics and badminton.
Meanwhile, Sibu division’s second highest achiever for SPM 2019 is SMK Sacred Heart which also came in third at state level with 2.79 GPS. Two of its students Dennis Hii Jiun Xiang and Kelvin Ngu Zu Hao were among the three candidates in the state who scored 11As.
Principal David Teo commended the students for achieving excellent SPM results in both quality and quantity. — DayakDaily
