WITH less than two months to the 2020 SPM exam following a postponement – and amid an alarming spike in COVID-19 infection of late – students and parents are in the dark as to how exactly will the most important national examination pan out.

Schools are scheduled to re-open on Jan 20 although the nationwide imposed recovery movement order (RMCO) has been extended to March 31.

Coupled with the record-breaking rise in the number of COVID-19 cases daily, how will public examination take place? What are the mechanisms in place to ensure that each student is ready and able to sit for the exam safely? Almost 400,000 students sit for SPM annually.

Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran shared with FocusM six urgent questions that the Ministry of Education (MOE) has to answer.

• Will the students and invigilators be required to undergo compulsory COVID-19 testing prior to the exam?
• Will the students and invigilators be kept under quarantine from the start to the end of the exam period to prevent infection from disrupting the examination?
• Is there a disinfection plan and a quarantine period or plan in place should a student or invigilator get infected once exams have begun? During this period, will exams be delayed nationwide? Or will most students take the exam as per the schedule and the affected schools sit for an alternate paper at another time?
• Will the students and invigilators who become close contacts with COVID-19 patients be allowed to sit for the exam or must they undergo the compulsory self-quarantine? Will they sit for their exams at their respective homes if they are forced to undergo a period of self-quarantine?
• Are schools prepared to handle the students entering and exiting the exam halls while maintaining social distancing?
• If an area goes under enhanced movement control order (EMCO), will the exams in those affected schools continue?

“These are issues and questions that need to be answered by MOE now so that students, parents and teachers can do the necessary in advance and be prepared,” Rajiv pointed out.

“If SPM trials were to be used as a gauge, 15% of schools (that are in Red Zone) have yet to conduct their exam while those that have completed had to conduct some of the exams online. This raises the questions of fairness, transparency and honesty.”

With the SPM having been deferred twice so far due to the raging pandemic, Rajiv further urged the MOE to introduce both a mechanism and standard operating procedure (SOP) for SPM 2020 along with a back-up plan in case the exam has to be deferred again.

“Is the future of our country going to be subjected to indefinite uncertainty or is MOE going to provide a firm solution that will ease the burden of anxiety off students and parents alike?” he asked.

“MOE has had ample time to review the situation and develop a comprehensive plan for SPM 2020 and should not keep quiet any longer.”- Jan 8, 2021

https://focusmalaysia.my/mainstream/how-will-moe-handle-covid-19-situation-during-spm/