SMK I.J. Convent SPM candidates get breakfast courtesy of Suasana Suites

JOHOR BARU: Some 400,000 students in the country are presently sitting their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Examination.

A large number in government schools come from the B40 category for whom having a good meal before entering the examination hall daily may be a wishful dream.

A good breakfast is the least of their priorities because of cost and time-taken considerations.

Suasana Suites chief executive officer Ng Siew Koon is aware of their plight and are doing their part to alleviate it.

She and her kitchen staff prepared fresh sandwiches early this morning, packing them with mineral water, chocolates, soya bean drinks and sweets into convenient takeaway boxes to be distributed to the 167 students at SMK I.J. Convent, Jalan Yahya Awal in the city.

"We want to do our part to show that we care for these students sitting for the SPM examination," she said.

"With the breakfast, their minds will be alert to face the examination," she said.

"When I was a student I knew how I felt when my stomach growled," she recalled.

Together with her staff, Ng arrived at the school at 6.30 am bearing the meal boxes as the students filed into the school premises.

The students were pleasantly surprised by the food packs from Suasana Suites.

Their smiling faces mirrored their feelings. Not often do students get the chance to taste a meal from a 5- star hotel.

The gesture is more appreciated because the school canteen is not operating due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).

SMK I.J. Convent principal Ande Noor Munawara Bachok and senior assistant for administration, Wong Cheui Keen, were present to welcome Ng and her colleagues bearing their gift meal packets.

Each student received a sandwich packet, chocolate, a soya bean drink, mineral water and sweets.

"A number of them come for the examination without taking their breakfast as they have to leave their homes at early pre-dawn," Ande Noor observed.

"Some are unable to have their breakfast at home and instead bring it to school to consume it," she added.

"We would like to thank Suasana Suites for providing this gift. It is so thoughtful of them," said Ande Noor.

"The school is also thankful to NGOs and individual bodies for assisting our students in several ways, especially those who are sitting for the SPM examination," she said.

The SPM examination began on February 22 and ends on March 25.

School head-prefect Chan Li Mynn, 18, an SPM candidate, said: "I feel touched by this gesture as it is not merely a breakfast for me but also a boost that helps me feel good."

Her fellow exam-mate Nurin Syahirah Norrisam, also 18, said: "My heartfelt thanks to Suasana Suites for being so generous to provide this wonderful breakfast. We cannot do well in an exam on a hungry stomach."