Eight students with special needs excel in SPM

PUTRAJAYA: Eight students with special needs proved that despite their disabilities they could still excel in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination with all of them scoring Grade A (distinction) in all subjects.
They were among the 883 special needs students who sat for the examination last year from the total of 470,395 candidates.
Education Director-General Datuk Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof said these students from different backgrounds who had problems, such as visual and hearing impairments, were an exemplary lot.
Talking on the overall performance at a press conference, he said last year's results were much better than the previous year as seen in the various categories based on the National Average Grade (GPN).
"SPM 2013 candidates scored GPN of 4.93 points compared with 5.08 in 2012, an improvement of 0.15 points. A smaller GPN indicates better results," said Khair.
He added that urban candidates did much better by scoring GPN of 4.68 points in 2013 compared with 4.83 in 2013, an improvement of 0.15 points.
Giving some breakdowns, he said, 405 candidates, including 366 from schools under the ministry scored Grade A+ (super distinction) in all subjects.
As for Grade A, Khair said there were 13,970 candidates who obtained it in all subjects as compared with 13,720 students in 2012.
He said 11,892 students studying in government schools scored Grade A in all subjects in comparison with only 11,648 in 2012, while the performance by students in non-government schools also rose from 2,072 to 2,078.
"Better results were seen in six of the seven core subjects, namely Bahasa Melayu, English Language, Islamic Studies, Moral Education, History and Science while a 0.08 point decline from GPN of 4.91 in 2012 to 4.99 points last year was seen in Mathematics."
For elective subjects, he said, a better performance was recorded in 55 out of 101 subjects, including Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Additional Science.
Starting last year, History was made a compulsory subject to pass in the SPM, apart from Bahasa Melayu.
Khair said they will continue to seek educational assessment from the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) of the United Kingdom, New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to ensure that the SPM qualification is recognised internationally.