Special Committee formed to reduce SPM absenteeism

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said that this initiative is the latest action by the Ministry of Education (KPM), which has planned intervention strategies by strengthening existing programmes.

He said that among other methods, KPM is utilising psychometric assessments to gather information on psychological traits on mental or emotional aspects to help students recognise their own personalities and make decisions based on their abilities.

"In addition, we are implementing preparation programmes for the SPM examination through initiatives such as the Healthy Mind School Programme and focused activities like community visits, parent consultation sessions, the cooperation of the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG), and the involvement of parents, communities, and private entities (PIBKS).

"We are collaborating with the Ministry of Finance through the MADANI Monitoring Unit and Yayasan Hasanah in the implementation of the Our Children Programme: Igniting Malaysia's Potential, which involves the SPM 2024 Acceleration Programme. This programme will be conducted in a focused manner and will involve various states," he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question from Hassan Saad (PN-Baling) regarding KPM's efforts to identify the causes of absenteeism among students who did not sit for the SPM and the measures being taken to ensure such individuals do not fall through the cracks of the education system.

Regarding the 10,160 SPM candidates who were absent from the examination last year, Wong said that KPM's analysis found that the reasons included candidates who had started working, dropped out or transferred schools, faced family problems, and health issues.

-- BERNAMA