‘Medical grads with O Level need only take SPM BM’

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry will discuss with the Education Ministry and the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate to smoothen the process for medical graduates with O Level qualifications to sit only for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia’s (SPM) Bahasa Melayu paper.

Individual candidates who opt for that can apply to the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (MES) for approval to take only the BM subject as a single paper as this meets the service condition for them to be appointed into public service, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“They do not need to take other SPM subjects,” he said in a statement yesterday.

On Saturday, The Star carried an exclusive story about medical graduates with O Level who had to take SPM BM in order to be accepted into housemanship.

However, some medical graduates in Selangor said they were told to register for six core SPM subjects at the state Education Department, while those from other states were required to register for only BM and History.

Besides BM and History, the other SPM core subjects are Science, Maths, English and Moral studies.

In response, the ministry said the MES allowed graduates to sit for the SPM BM paper alone through special approval from the director of the syndicate.

However, medical graduates were told they could not sit for just one subject to get an SPM certificate.

Meanwhile, the Public Service Commission said it was only observing the SPM BM requirement set by the Public Service Department (PSD) which in turn, said it was only implementing the decision made by the Health Ministry.

The ministry said it had asked the PSD to waive the SPM-level BM pass requirement for contract staff and in February, the PSD agreed to the request but it has to be fulfilled for permanent post as doctors.

According to the Article 152 of the Federal Constitution and the Na­­tional Language Acts 1963/67 (Act 32), Bahasa Melayu is the national language and the official language of the Federation, said Dr Noor Hisham.

Therefore, one of the entry requirements for appointment into the public service is a pass in BM subject at SPM level or equivalent.