GEORGE TOWN: "This is my gift to my mother for all her sacrifices in raising me after my dad passed away."

So said Amsyar Muawiyah Mohd Sofi, 20, of her 4.0 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination last year.

Amsyar was one of eight students of Kolej Tingkatan Enam Haji Zainul Abidin who earned the grade.

She achieved As in Pengajian Am, Bahasa Melayu, Kesusasteraan Melayu Komunikatif and History.

Tan Jun Sheng, who also earned straight As in the same subjects, was in Kuala Lumpur to receive his result. He was named the best STPM 2023 student in the special category for the visually impaired.

Amsyar, who aspires to be a linguistic teacher, said after her father died four years ago, her mother worked as a cleaner at the courthouse to fend for her and her younger sibling.

"My father was working in the factory then, and when he suddenly died, our world almost collapsed. My mother was forced to take up the cleaning job to put us through school.

"Despite that, she always reminded us to study hard and do well in life.

"Today, I am glad that I can repay her sacrifices. I dedicate my results to her," she said, when met after collecting her results from Penang Education Department deputy director of the learning sector Roland @ Rozaidi Abu Hassan at the college this morning.

Amsyar said she only scored a CGPA of 3.8 in her initial results.

"I repeated some papers as I was unhappy with the A- and B+ I got.

"This came as a shock to me. I want to thank my mother, my teachers and all my friends for making this happen.

"I have applied to pursue a linguistic course in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and am awaiting the results," she added.

Her classmate and study buddy, Nur Fadzlina Thaulath, 20, was also ecstatic with the 4.0 CGPA.

Fadzlina applied for a teaching course at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

The third of four siblings, and the daughter of a roti canai stall assistant and a housewife, also dedicated her excellent results to her parents.

Fadzlina, the deputy students' representative of the college, said she juggled her time equally between studies and co-curricular activities.

Also scoring a CGPA of 4.0 was Joshua Ng Shao Wen, the only student to do so among nearly 30 science stream students in the college.

He obtained As in Pengajian Am, Mathematics (T), Physics and Chemistry.

Ng, the only child, aims to pursue a course in engineering at a university in Kuala Lumpur.

"I just do my best and let God do the rest," he said of his excellent results.

Ng owed his success to his mother, teachers and friends, especially his classmates.

"All of them have been of great help to me. We have one of the best teachers here in this college.

"I am also thankful to my friends who have worked and learned alongside me all along. They have made my learning experience here a memorable one."

Ng said he enjoyed studying at night.

He is also a chess player and represented the state in the game.

Meanwhile, Nurhafizah Abdul Raseed, who also obtained a CGPA of 4.0, paid tribute to her taxi driver father and cleaner mother for her success.

"They cannot accompany me here today, as they cannot get time off. However, I have called my mother to let her know my results," she said.

Nurhafizah said she initially found it difficult to catch up with the STPM syllabus.

"My parents only earned RM1,700 so I cannot attend tuition classes.

"I depended a lot on my teachers for their help and my hard work finally paid off.

"I have every one of them to thank for," she said, adding that she planned to study nearby to be close to her parents.

Meanwhile, 15 schools in Penang recorded 100 per cent passes in last year's STPM.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/1080536/70-penang-students-excel-40-cgpa-stpm-2023