Johor Official Blames Singapore for Over 900 Students Skipping SPM

For Malaysian students, SPM is considered to be an extremely important exam, as failing it would make it difficult to secure employment in the future.

Image Credit: The Star

Despite its importance, a large number of students still did not show up to take this exam. As reported in The Star, as of February 6, about 8,076 SPM students failed to attend all of their written papers.

While the number is indeed alarming, one Johor official suggested that a particular country, Singapore, was to blame for this.

Image Credit: Utusan

The remark was made by Johor Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin during an educational event recently.

According to him, the students in the state skipped SPM as they believed they could still earn lucrative salaries even without taking the Form 5 examination.

“The challenge for us is that Singapore does not see the SPM as a requirement for work. Schools must engage parents and students to emphasise the importance of the SPM for the future,” he said.

It is also reported that a huge number of Malaysians have left the country or Singapore to secure high-paying jobs because of the country's stronger currency.

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