Free replacement of certificates lost in floods: Mahdzir

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has agreed to exempt payment to flood victims who want to get replacement of original examination certificates which are missing or damaged due to the flood disaster, said Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
He said those affected must show proof they were listed as flood victims before reapplying for the certificates.
"Those who sat for their examinations after 2000 can obtain copies of their certificates in one hour, while others will take a week," he told reporters after launching "Integrity Day" for the Education Ministry here today.
Mahdzir said the flood victims could get the certificates at the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate's counters or by downloading the application form from its website.
They would be exempted from paying RM30 for each Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate and RM50 each for Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) certificate, he said.
Asked if the ministry received any complaints from parents on SPM questions, Mahdzir said : "To date, we have not received any official complaint on SPM questions, especially on the English Language subject."
"Actually, we have an examination panel to look at every subject and the questions which have been prepared. The panel will evaluate to decide which questions will be included in SPM.
"So, the panel has made their consideration. Disgruntled parents can see the state education officer at the examination division to get further explanations."
Earlier, in his opening speech, Mahdzir advised the 500,000 ministry staff nationwide to place integrity as their main agenda in delivering service to the public efficiently, systematically, transparently and with 'best value for money'.
He said the element of integrity among civil servants was not only focused on corruption, misappropriation or abuse of power but also encompassed negligence, weak financial management governance, disciplinary breach issues such as absenteeism and non-performance of duty.
He said the ministry had handled 3,450 cases from 2010 until October under various categories of offences with absenteeism recording the highest number of cases, namely, 1,912 cases while second highest was offences involving financial procedures (227 cases). — Bernama