Candidates affected by floods moved to safer sites
PUTRAJAYA: The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2025 examinations commenced smoothly nationwide, including in states affected by floods, says Education director-general Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad.
As of 5pm on Monday, he said a total of 259 candidates who were affected by floods were relocated to safer accommodations or assisted by government agencies to reach their exam centres, with contingency plans already in place.
He said the Education Ministry began flood-risk mapping as early as September, identifying students living in flood-prone areas or near rivers.
“We already know how many students would be affected if floods were to occur, so we took action early.
“All 16 state education departments informed me as of 6.30am that the SPM written exams would proceed as planned,” he said during a visit to SMK Putrajaya Presint 11(1) yesterday.
He also said that while 259 candidates were affected, most still sat for their papers at their originally designated exam centres.
“Only a few were moved to the alternative centres prepared for floods.
“Many high-risk centres typically have few candidates, often just two to four, which is why we have instructed the state education directors to take early action before floods hit,” he said.
He also said that the ministry maintains regular communication with the Malaysian Meteorological Department to receive timely weather updates for swift action at both state and district levels.
As part of the initial measures, he said students in flood-prone areas were identified early, and some were pre-emptively moved to school hostels near their examination centres.
One last quick study: Students of SMK Putrajaya Presint 11 (1) having their final revision before sitting for their SPM exam. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
“We also carried out a flood simulation exercise in Kuala Terengganu last September or October to better understand the real challenges of the monsoon season,” he said.
Mohd Azam also said that this year’s SPM exams marks a return to the original SPM schedule after several years of delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We knew that returning SPM to November and December would bring challenges from the rainy and flood seasons. But preparations started much earlier,” he said.
He added that the Ops Payung operation has also been activated as part of preparedness efforts involving the cooperation of various agencies, including the National Security Council, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and others.
Separately, he said the Malaysian Examinations Council is investigating claims on social media that SPM questions are being sold online.
He said no official report has been filed yet, but the Education Ministry is aware of the allegations.
“The Malaysian Examination Council has procedures in place to handle such matters,” he said, adding that he believes the SPM questions are still being kept safe.
Previously, several screenshots went viral on social media offering allegedly leaked SPM questions for sale, with prices starting from RM499 per subject.
A total of 413,372 candidates are sitting for SPM 2025. This includes 358,817 students from government, government-aided and government-aided religious schools; 8,051 from other government agency schools such as Mara Junior Science Colleges, Royal Military Colleges, and Military Apprentice Schools; 6,676 from state religious secondary schools; 13,836 from private schools registered with the Education Ministry; 23,741 private candidates; and 2,251 from public religious secondary schools.
Candidates began the first day with Bahasa Melayu Paper 1, Visual Arts Education Paper 1, and Bahasa Melayu Paper 2.
