CHUKAI: With grit and determination, Halimatus Sa'diyah Abdul Faal used her family's hardships to motivate herself which finally paid off when she achieved the perfect score in the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM) 2021 examination which was announced today.

Halimatus Sa'diyah, 20, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sultan Ismail here obtained 4A in Bahasa Melayu, General Studies, Geography and Economics with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0.

According to her, the achievement means a lot to her and her family since her father, Abdul Faal Ibrahim, 53, only works as a labourer, while mother Saleha Ashaari, 48, runs a food stall in front of the house to make ends meet for her 10 siblings.

"Our life is really difficult because my father's income is inconsistent while we siblings are all still in school. Sometimes school expenses have to be rationed.

"In fact, every day, my father has to go back and forth several times as far as 40 kilometres from our house in Kijal to send me and my siblings to school on a dilapidated motorcycle. If there are extra classes, Dad would rush from work to make sure we don't fall behind in our studies," she said when met at the STPM 2021 result announcement ceremony at SMK Sultan Ismail here today.


However, she said hardship has not made her weak, instead, it has encouraged her to work harder in her studies in order to change her destiny and be a good example to her younger siblings.

"My success is the result of the sacrifices of my parents and with the help of my teachers and friends. I will not forget their deeds and will continue to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher," she said.

Meanwhile, another outstanding student, Irene Ong Ching Shing, 21, said she was very grateful to her parents, teachers and friends for motivating her to excel in her studies.

According to Irene, her good results especially in Bahasa Melayu was really unexpected because she was quite weak in her studies and had entered a transition class before getting into Form One.

"This success will motivate me to pursue my dream of becoming a journalist," said the lass who hails from Kampung Binjai here.

Like Halimatus Sa'diyah, Irene too scored 4A in Bahasa Melayu, General Studies, Geography and Economics with a 4.0 CGPA.

-- BERNAMA