SPM student looks back on ‘rushed’ journey

SIJIL Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), the endgame of our secondary education. The moment we candidates have been waiting for, or dreading.

The SPM 2021 batch had a whirlwind of things that we had to endure.

They included the examination format change, the completely different syllabus that is the Standard-Based Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KSSM) and of course, Covid-19.

Because of the timing of this pandemic, our batch, beginning in Form Four, was thrown into the unknown world of online classes, which was a struggle for everyone involved.

The teachers struggled with the online platforms for their classes, the Internet and the overall interaction with their students.

I craved for physical schooling again as I was struggling to keep up with my classes – sometimes I just wasn’t brave enough to ask my teacher to repeat her instructions or to say that I didn’t understand.

Everything was different. We were starting our journey in upper secondary and were robbed of almost every experience. The ones that were supposed to make secondary school worthwhile.

I even lost all interest in learning. That’s when I started to do things that only offered me temporary happiness – distractions, one might say – and my grades deteriorated. I was sad, scared and tired.

And I wasn’t the only one. The situation threw us all out of orbit. I’m sure many of us faced a decline in self-esteem, confidence and social interaction.

The format change now also includes the practical (amali) papers for the science subjects. This new development came at the wrong time, considering we weren’t at school to do the experiments. Our teachers had to rush to carry out the experiments and prepare us as well as they could.

Resilient group: Vharshaa says her batch ‘had a whirlwind of things that we had to endure’.

Indeed, these two years can be summed up with that word: ‘rushed’. Rushing to get materials according to the format and syllabus, rushing to learn it, rushing to perfect it.

Some of us took it in our stride and managed to excel in these trying times; others, myself included, experienced burnout.

The content is dense and we were doing something that had never been done before – no past year papers, no proper activity books until the middle of last year.

Many of my schoolmates have been trying to keep as safe as possible and my school has also been playing its part, although it is difficult to get teenagers to follow the standard operating procedure.

The Education Ministry has guaranteed that precautions will be taken during the SPM. I hope that it will provide some peace of mind to everyone involved.

Each person from my batch suffered losses in some way. If you’re an SPM candidate and you’re reading this, I’m proud that you made it here today.

It must have been difficult, coping with studies, maintaining relationships and keeping our mental and physical health in check amid the disruptions.

After this month, I hope you hang out with your friends again, find your hobbies and passions, and do the things you missed out on. Remember, there is more to life than examination grades.

Vharshaa, 18, a student in Selangor, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.