399 absent SPM candidates persuaded to retake exam this year, says Deputy Education Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 399 out of 10,160 candidates for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) who were absent last year managed to be persuaded to retake the examination, says Minister Wong Kah Woh.

The Deputy Education Minister said the ministry had conducted tracing and succesfully encouraged the 399 students to register and sit for the SPM in 2024.

"We managed to attract 399 absent candidates to sit for the SPM this year," he said in response to an oral question from Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baharu) about the Education Ministry's action to overcome the issue of absenteeism involving 10,160 out of 383,685 SPM 2023 candidates for the exam, saying it was an increasingly serious issue.

According to statistics, 8,676 absent candidates were from Education Ministry schools, 1,263 were private candidates, and 221 were from state religious schools, people's religious schools, and private schools.

Wong added that the category with the most absences involved candidates who had dropped out of school, numbering 3,858.

"6,399 absent candidates were from urban areas, while 2,277 candidates from the rural category did not sit for the examination.

"The causes were beyond the ministry's control, such as candidates already working, family problems, accidents, and illness," he said.