KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today praised Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 candidates for achieving success in the examination which was held at a time when the country and the world were grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Muhyiddin, in a Facebook post, said he was proud of these SPM candidates, who had prevailed despite facing a set of challenges which were different from those of previous years.

"Alhamdulillah, I take note that the SPM 2020 results are the best achievement in five years. All of you were tested with a bitter challenge but armed with high spirits and determination as well as support from all quarters, you managed to overcome the challenge.

"However, if the results received are not as expected, never give up.

"Of course, we have high hopes that all our efforts will produce good results. But if it is not as expected, this is not the end," he said.

The prime minister also told the candidates that their life journey has just begun and that there are more knowledge and experiences to gain and fields to exlplore.

Besides congratulating those who did well, he also thanked all parents and teachers who have worked hard in assisting the students to sit for the examination in these trying times.

Muhyiddin said the hard work was proven through the implementation of the challenging home-based teaching and learning process under the new normal.

Therefore, he called on the candidates to use their SPM results as a motivation to strive for a better future.

When announcing an analysis of the SPM 2020 results today, Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the National Average Grade (GPN) of 4.80 recorded for the examination is the country's best in five years.

-- BERNAMA