ALOR STAR: Sandy Choon sits alone in a classroom at SJKC Cheng Yu in Kuala Kuar, Alor Janggus here.
Under the watchful eyes of three examination officers, the Year Six pupil carefully answers the Bahasa Melayu paper of the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), which began today.
Sandy is the sole UPSR candidate at her school.
Besides Sandy, three other pupils are also the only UPSR candidates at their schools in the state – SJKC Pei Hwa in Gurun, SJKC Pei Eng in Yan and SJKT Ladang Kupang in Baling.
When met after completing her Bahasa Malaysia paper, Sandy said she did not feel anxious being the only candidate at her school.
She said that she had prepared herself well for the examination, thanks to the dedication of her school teachers.
“I scored As in all subject in the UPSR trial examination, and I hope I will achieve similar results in the real examination,” she said.
Revealing that her favourite subject is English, Sandy said she hopes to become a teacher when she grows up.
SJKC Cheng Yu’s headmaster, Lee Chun Fatt, said Sandy had a Year Six classmate last year, but her peer moved to a school in Jitra.
Meanwhile, Kedah deputy Education Department director Sofaruddin Ismail said a total of 32,481 candidates are sitting for the examination at 570 centres in Kedah.
"We have 3,425 candidates from Chinese vernacular schools, 1,375 candidates from Tamil vernacular schools, and 1,096 candidates from private schools," he said in a statement.
He added that there are 59 special needs candidates, including 13 who are hearing-impaired and one who is sight-impaired.
He said so far, the examination process is running smoothly, despite early morning rain in several parts of the state.