LETTERS: Parents, whose children are sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination in early March, are aware that the anxiety faced by these teenagers needs to be addressed to ensure that they allocate ample time to review their lessons every day.
It requires a high level of attention and discipline to ensure that children's learning schedules are followed diligently so that they do not continue to be overwhelmed by social media, online games and entertainment programmes on television.
SPM 2021 follows the new Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah syllabus and students are facing difficulty in reviewing the previous years' question papers.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO) have pushed us out of our comfort zones and daily routines. Most activities have to be altered in terms of mode, method and manner, resulting in a new normal.
Most importantly, media and communications equipment are becoming a necessity during the MCO.
Whether they like it or not, skilled or otherwise, parents should be aware of technical aspects. For example, they must know how to register for a Google account, search for subjects in Google Classroom and enable their children to participate in online classes by activating the microphone and video modes.
Parents must take extra steps to assist their children who are sitting SPM so that they do not fall behind in their studies. For example, they can enrol their children in online seminars, particularly for core subjects such as Mathematics, Science and English.
Although a small budget is required for this purpose, the investment is well worth it in terms of benefitting the children and teachers, who provide the best education through the PdPR home-based learning and hybrid methods.
An "A" in SPM is not everything, but it is crucial for students to give their all to achieve excellent results. If they are successful, they can continue their foundation or diploma-level studies in matriculation colleges or public universities.
They can also continue their education at government-run polytechnics, community colleges and skills training institutes.
Therefore, the best approach to addressing anxiety and boosting motivation among students, particularly SPM 2021 candidates, is to emulate the success and enthusiasm of SPM 2020 students as an indicator for them to be more focused and resilient.
Indeed, we are all in a trying situation which is exhausting and testing our patience, but all parties must band together to ensure the emergence of the younger generation and the continuity of the education system.
Good luck to all SPM 2021 candidates!
Zuriani Yaacob
Senior lecturer, Academy of Language Studies, UiTM Raub, Pahang
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times