KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve out of fourteen clients of the National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada) successfully passed the subjects they took in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2023 examination.
Eleven of these were from the rehabilitation centre in Papar, Sabah, while the other was from the centre in Seri Iskandar, Perak.
Nada said those who took the examination did so through the agency's Client Education Access Programme (PAPK).
"The Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme within Institution at both these centres offers special modules such as the PAPK, an educational welfare opportunity for individuals below 18," said Nada deputy director-general (management) Shobah Jamil.
She said, through PAPK, clients will follow a systematic class schedule and be taught by skilled teachers appointed through the Malaysia Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP) scheme.
"Some of them were facing issues such as not being able to read, calculate, or write at the beginning of their entry into the centres, but after participating in the PAPK programme, they acquired many skills and successfully passed their SPM.
"This effort is to provide opportunities for clients to advance academically, and the certificates obtained can also be used for them to continue their lives while maintaining lifelong recovery," said Shobah.
She said clients who have passed, now have the opportunity to further their education to a higher level such as at the Mara Skills Institute (IKM), Industrial Training Institute (ILP), National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN), GiatMara Malaysia, and polytechnics.
A total of six subjects were taken by Nada clients, namely Bahasa Malaysia, English, Science, Mathematics, History, and Islamic Education or Moral Education.
The 2023 SPM results were announced today, with 11,713, or 3.1 per cent, of the 373,525 candidates scoring straight As. The National Average Grade (GPN) score of 4.6 recorded was better than the 4.74 the previous year.