Despite having to travel 80km daily to school, visually-impaired student Azree Feekree Zamzuri saw a vision for a better future.

His determination to succeed saw him emerge as one of top students in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) in the Special Student category.

The student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St John in Kuala Lumpur said he worked hard to make up for his lack of sight and was fuelled by his parent's encouragement to excel in the examination.

"Every day, I needed to get out of the house at 6am and return 13 hours later in my father's car. This extra effort drove me to study diligently," he said when met at the best STPM and Malaysian University English Test (MUET) student award presentation ceremony here Wednesday.

Azree Feekree, the son of a clerk working at Kumpulan Utusan (M) Berhad clerk, Bangi, was among 18 top 2015 STPM and MUET students who received a certificate of appreciation, RM1,000 and plaque from Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid at the ceremony.

Apart from using Braille reference books for revision, he said the success of his two sisters who are also visually-impaired had spurred him on to prove his capability.

Azree Feekree obtained Grade A for General Paper, Bahasa Melayu, Communicative Malay Literature and History with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.00.

Apart from Azree Feekree, three other top students in the category were Muhammad Ikmalul Iktimam Mahadhir of SMK Sri Gunung, Bachok, Kelantan and sisters Felicia Pui Jia Yin and Andrea Pui Jia Hui, of SMK (P) St George, George Town, Penang.

At the ceremony, top STPM students were awarded in the Urban, Rural, Orang Asli, Overseas and MUET categories.

Apart from that, Loke Chia Chien a/l Loke Heng Fatt of SMK Rompin, Rompin Pahang and Nurisan Salamoh of Sultan Alam Shah Islamic College in Klang, Selangor, were the best students in the Orang Asli and Foreign categories, respectively.

According to Loke, systematic revision and paying attention in class while not being discouraged with teases by classmates were his recipe for success in the STPM examination.

"I also keep my focus during additional classes and check with the teacher on any problem. I revise two to three hours daily.

"I almost gave up but encouragement from my teachers and parents motivated me to succeed," said the eldest of three siblings who aspires to be a customs officer.

Nurisan of Patani, Thailand said only education could change the fate of her family who earned around RM500 to RM600 a month by sewing clothes.

"As such, even though my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) was not very good, I took it as a lesson to continue improving in the STPM. I am very thankful to the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry for giving me a scholarship," she said.

The five best Urban category students were Tee Wee Sin (SMK Munshi Sulaiman, Batu Pahat, Johor); Choong Wai Kean (SMK Sam Tet, Ipoh Perak), Chai Chin Chiet (SMK Seri Bandar Pontian, Pontian, Johor); Wan Nursyafiqah Wan Rusli (SMK Tunku Temenggung, Pendang Kedah) and Too Hon Lin (SMK Gajah Berang, Melaka).

The five best students in the Rural category were Muhammad Hakim Suhaimi (SMK Sultan Ibrahim (2) Pasir Mas, Kelantan); Nur Izwani Zulkifli(SMK Seri Intan Machang, Kelantan); Goh Kai Ying (SMK Mentakab, Pahang); Syamimi Sharifudin (SMK Tunku Putra Batu Pahat, Johor) and Ooi Tzu Chia (SMK Dato' Penggawa Timur, Pasir Gudang Johor).

The top 10 2015 STPM schools are Sultan Alam Shah Islamic College (KISAS), Klang, Selangor; SMK Hua Lian, Taiping, Perak; SMK Jitra, Jitra, Kedah; SMK Tun Dr Ismail, Muar, Johor; SMK Agama Persekutuan Labu, Negeri Sembilan; SMK Agama Sheikh Haji Mohd Said, Negeri Sembilan; SMK Sultan Ibrahim I, Pasir Mas, Kelantan; SMK Dong, Raub, Pahang; Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Jit Sin Penang; and, SMK (Perempuan) Abu Bakar, Johor.

Earlier, Mahdzir expressed satisfaction with the 2015 STPM results announced this morning which showed an improvement in the quality of students, as well as teachers towards achieving excellence.

He said it was a good indicator for form six to be retained as choice for students wishing to further their studies after form five.

READ: STPM 2015 results show slight improvement

"Records showed STPM students were also capable of excellent performance in the science and non-science streams in universities. The success is closely related to the attitude of teachers and parents.

"The excellent achievement recorded by students was in part the hard work and perseverance of teachers and families," he said.