Covid-hit students barred from SPM, STPM exams
January 21, 2021 @ 9:30am
KUALA LUMPUR: Covid-19 symptomatic students, those undergoing quarantine, as well as those who test positive for Covid-19 will be barred from sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations.
Instead, these students will be allowed to take their exams at another session, which will be announced by the Education Ministry.
In a reply to questions from the New Straits Times, the ministry said the conditions for the SPM and STPM students were similar to the regulations stipulated for the Pentaksiran Kemasukan Sekolah Khusus (PKSK) assessment as detailed in its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the operations of educational institutions registered with the ministry.
According to the FAQ, which was updated on Jan 18, candidates who have completed their quarantine period and those who have been discharged after Covid-19 treatment will be allowed to sit examinations.
Meanwhile, parents or guardians of candidates who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms must get approval from registered medical officers and inform the chief examiners of their examination centres.
These candidates, too, will take their exams at a later date.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to ravage the nation, has forced the SPM and STPM exams for the 2020 batch to be deferred twice.
In June last year, the ministry announced that SPM would be postponed to Jan 6, 2021 while STPM exams would be held on Aug 12, 2021 (Semester 2) and March 1, 2021 (Semester 3).
However, the public examinations were postponed again following the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in October last year.
Currently, SPM and STPM are slated to be held on Feb 22 and March 8, respectively.