Healthy candidates must sit for SPM examination even in EMCO areas

PUTRAJAYA: Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination candidates in Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) areas must still sit for the examination which is scheduled to begin on Monday (Feb 22).

Education director-general Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim said only candidates who were confirmed positive COVID-19 or a close contact to a positive case were allowed not to be present at the examination centre.

However, she said the candidates must furnish proof from the doctor or the respective District Health offices.

“According to the guideline, only healthy candidates can be present. So, wherever the candidates are, either in the MCO, Conditional MCO or EMCO areas, they can sit for the examination as long as they are fit.

“If they are confirmed positive or close contacts, and are under quarantine, they cannot be present at the examination centre but after the quarantine period is over, they can go to the examination centre to sit for the paper which is still taking place.

“The ministry will reschedule the examination for the papers that the candidates have missed due to the quarantine order,” she said in an interview with Bernama, Utusan Malaysia and The Star on the Guidelines for School Management and Operations in New Norms 2.0 at the Ministry of Education (MOE), here yesterday.

According to MOE data, 401,105 candidates would be sitting for the SPM examination at 3,310 examination centres nationwide.

Of the total, 1,150 registered candidates would join to sit for the examination at other examination centres.

On the possibility of examination questions being leaked, Habibah said the issue would not arise as MOE would provide a different set of questions with the same standard and format.

In this regard, she hoped the SPM candidates and equivalent who would be sitting for the examination from Monday were prepared as it is an important examination.

-- BERNAMA