By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 25: The issue of students not sitting for their Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) examinations should be examined comprehensively and should not be based on one factor alone, says Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
In a TVS report, he said Sarawak education director Omar Mahli’s statement that 800 students in the State did not sit for their SPM examination last year reflected the challenges faced by various layers of society at the grassroots level.
“We have to understand that the number comprises students from all backgrounds,” he said at the Siburan District Council’s swearing-in ceremony for councillors today.
He said the students’ absence from the examination shouldn’t necessarily come from the fact that they came from poor families, as some of the students who failed to sit for their SPM examination also come from well-to-do families and are just not interested in their studies.
“Only the students themselves know the real reason. Some are already married, sick, or involved in accidents, causing them not to be able to continue their schooling,” he said.
He also dismissed assumptions that the issue was solely related to skipping school or ‘ponteng’, but rather involved various complex factors.
However, he expressed his appreciation for the continuous efforts of teachers who were willing to go out into the field, including visiting students’ homes to persuade them to return to school. — DayakDaily
