468,808 Students Sit For SPM Examination 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) — A total of 468,808 students are sitting for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination beginning Monday until Dec 14 at 3,533 examination centres nationwide.
In Kelantan, the number of students sitting for the examination in the state declined by 404 candidates from last year, bringing the total to 36,333.

Kelantan Education Department director Hussain Awang said, of the total, 28, 087 candidates were from government schools, 4,945 were from Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK) religious schools, 650 were from Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) and 110 were private candidates.

“All of government school candidates are sitting for the examination at 282 examination centres statewide, not including 50 examination centres provided for the YIK candidates and four centres in MRSM,” he told Bernama here.

In Pahang, State Education Department director Yahya Zainal Abidin said 22,490 candidates were sitting for the examination, 23 of whom were students with special needs and seeing disabilities.
“A total of 450 Orang Asli students from several areas in Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin are also sitting for the examination this year,” he said when contacted.

When asked on the possibility that the state would be hit by floods during the examination period, Yahya said the department was fully prepared to face possible floods.

“If the examination centres were to be inundated by floodwaters, we will relocate the candidates to other schools with hostel facilities,” he said.

In Kedah, twelve of the 36,717 SPM candidates in the state were sitting for the examination at hospitals due to medical conditions.

Kedah Education Department director Mansor Lat said eight of them were sitting for the examination at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar and one each at Kulim Hospital in Kulim, Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani, Jitra Hospital in Jitra as well as one in Penang Hospital.

He said 264 examination centres were opened statewide to facilitate the candidates sitting for the examination.

In Terengganu, a female student had to sit for the examination at Hulu Terengganu Hospital after being infected with Hepatitis A.

Nor Ain Nabila Rasid, 17, appeared calm when sitting for the Bahasa Melayu 1 papers today.

The student was admitted to the hospital with 27 others, including eight children, after showing symptoms of Hepatitis A virus infection.

State Health Department director Dr Anuwa Sulaiman said the department was in the midst of conducting thorough examinations to ensure the actual virus that had infected the victims.