KUALA LUMPUR: A special action committee has been formed to look into the issue of poor attendance for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the committee is called the Special Action Committee for the Attendance of SPM Candidates for the 2024/25 Session.
He said this was the latest move in the ministry's intervention plan, alongside strengthening the implementation of existing programmes.
Other programmes, said Wong, include utilising psychometric assessments to gather information on psychological traits from a mental or emotional perspective, to help students recognise their personalities and make decisions based on their abilities.
"(The ministry is also implementing) an SPM preparation programme through initiatives like the Healthy Mind School Programme (and conducting) focused activities such as care visits, parent consultation sessions, cooperation with the Parent-Teacher Association, as well as the involvement of parents, community, and the private sector.
"The ministry is also working with the Finance Ministry via the Pantau Madani Unit and Yayasan Hasanah in the implementation of Program Anak Kita: Semarak Potensi Malaysia.
"This collaboration also includes the SPM 2024 Acceleration Programme," he said, in response to Hassan Saad (PN-Baling).
Hassan had asked about the ministry's efforts to identify the reasons for students' absence from the SPM exam and to ensure that these students will not be excluded from the education system.
Wong said family problems, accidents, health problems, transferring schools and work were among the main reasons for 10,160 candidates who registered for the SPM 2023 did not sit for the exam.