NO NEED TO POSTPONE SPM AS MOE HAS MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS FLOOD ISSUES - EDUCATION DG

JERTIH,  Dec 2 (Bernama) -- There is no need to postpone the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekohan Malaysia (STPM) examinations because the Ministry of Education (MoE) has a comprehensive mechanism to address the issue of students affected by floods during the current Northeast Monsoon (MTL) season.

Education director-general Azman Adnan said that, through the Ops Payung standard operating procedure (SOP), the MoE is confident the issue involving students sitting for these examinations during the disaster can be properly managed.

"We have a circular related to the Ops Payung SOP to implement mechanisms related to being prepared to face the MTL, which occurs almost annually nationwide, particularly in the East Coast states.

"The (exam) schedules have been properly arranged by taking into consideration various matters, including the possibility of floods. If we postpone them, it will affect many other things, including the admission of students to universities,” he said.

He told reporters this after surveying the clean-up process at the flood-hit Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Payong in Hulu Besut near here.

Meanwhile, he said the MoE will identify the damage suffered by 132 flood-hit schools nationwide and that it is waiting for reports from the state education departments.

In a related development, Azman said that, so far, only Sekolah Kebangsaan Tembila in Besut is still water-logged while 28 other flood-hit schools in Terengganu are undergoing post-flood clean-up works.

-- BERNAMA