KUCHING: A total of 36,843 students are sitting for the 16-day Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination across Sarawak today.
Sarawak Education Department (JPNS) director Omar Mahli said this was an increase from the 35,423 candidates recorded last year.
“Today marks the first day of the written SPM papers, but the examination actually began earlier.
“The Bahasa Melayu oral test was held from Nov 3 to 6, followed by the English oral test from Nov 10 to 13. The Science practical exams for Chemistry, Physics and Biology were conducted the following week.
“On Nov 20, candidates sat for the Bahasa Melayu and English listening tests, and today, the written papers began in all schools statewide,” he said after observing the first day of the SPM written examinations at SMK Penrissen No. 1, Padawan.
SMK Penrissen No. 1 has 556 candidates distributed across three examination centres within the school.
Teachers and invigilators were stationed early to coordinate attendance and ensure students entered their designated rooms smoothly.
When reporters arrived shortly before 7am, students were already making their way into the school compound — some quietly revising their notes, while others arrived in groups as parents dropped them off at the gate.
The candidates were then brought to the school hall, where teachers conducted a short final briefing and offered last-minute tips ahead of the Bahasa Melayu paper.
Omar also took the opportunity to address the students, offering words of encouragement and reminding them to stay calm, manage their time wisely and give their best effort throughout the examination period.
The school additionally prepared support for four candidates who required special arrangements.
“One is an OKU cardholder with cerebral palsy. Two others require wheelchairs and were placed in ground-floor rooms, while another candidate was assigned a separate room due to a health condition certified by a doctor,” said Omar.
Statewide, SPM is being conducted across 259 centres involving 212 schools, with candidates sitting for 82 subjects this year.
The main national examination will end on Dec 23.
