Dropping out, police custody among reasons why 1,724 missed SPM in S’gor

SHAH ALAM: Dropping out from school, deaths and being held in police custody were among the reasons why 1,724 students in Selangor did not sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2023 examinations, says the state education department.

Selangor Education director Dr Jafri Abu said the number also includes those students who could not be traced by the department as well as those who were involved in accidents.

“However, the absenteeism rate of the candidates has gone down compared to the previous year, which was at 2,387 candidates,” he told reporters at the state’s SPM results analysis announcement here on Monday (May 27).

Jafri said that the department had tried to address SPM absenteeism through briefings, motivational talks, reaching out to parents and logistical assistance for students.

“We understand that some students have problems coming to the examination centres, hence we advise them to sit for their papers at the nearest centres to their houses. We also provided assistance,” said Jafri.

“We also check for attendance 30 minutes before the examination commences; however, there were still some candidates that we failed to reach out to,” he added.

A total of 72,923 candidates registered for SPM 2023 in the state, and 65,452 candidates of them were under government schools.

Nationally, Education director-general Azman Adnan said that about 10,000 Form Five students did not sit for the SPM last year and added that the number has decreased significantly.