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PUTRAJAYA: Students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination may not be allowed to take as many subjects as they like in future to make the scholarship selection process fairer.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Government might limit the number of subjects taken by students in the SPM for fairer Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship selection.
Muhyiddin said the idea was raised as students in fully residential schools were only allowed to take a maximum of nine subjects and those in rural areas too had to take fewer subjects due to a lack of facilities.
“The students at residential schools are among the creme de la creme and they would become disadvantaged compared to students in other schools which could take many subjects,” he told a press conference after meeting with Puteri Umno leaders at his office here yesterday.
Muhyiddin said there was no restriction on the number of subjects students from other government schools could take.
Under the SPM open certificate introduced in 2000, students have to take six core subjects – Bahasa Melayu, English, Islamic Education or Moral Studies, History, Mathematics and Science – and any other elective subjects as long as there is no clash in the timetable.
SMKA Yan student Azali Azlan set a new record in 2007 by obtaining 21 As (20 A1s and 1 A2) in the SPM, beating the record set by former SMK Ulu Tiram student Nur Amalina Che Bakri, who scored 17 1As in 2004.
This year, three students obtained 16 1As, two obtained 15 1As while six scored 14 1As.
Asked if the issue on the PSD scholarships was discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Muhyiddin said it was raised twice before it was decided that a special meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Monday would be the best platform to discuss the issue.
He said he was unsure if any of the decision at the special meeting would apply to the current batch of PSD scholarship applicants or only to future ones.
He said that when students from residential or rural schools who scored nine As were given PSD scholarships those who scored a higher number of As in other schools became displeased, but not selecting those from the first two categories would be unfair as they could not take more subjects even if they wanted to.
sources :http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/22/nation/3959691&sec=nation
What I see the problem is about rural student has disadvantage from urban student due to they lack of facilities provided. So, Prime Minister suggest that amount of subjects should limit so that this will eliminate the advantage gain from urban student.
Hm....In my opinion, I think the selection for JPA as well as the marking on SPM, both of them have problems. Allow me to suggest my humble ideas here. Firstly about the JPA, the selection for applicants should divide into different categories according to different types like financial needer, extra ordinary applicant (21As, 17As, ....), excellent in extra co-curriculum or winner in internation competition. Secondly, SPM marking should be more rigously thus reduce the amount of As or else like how the tanjinjack mentioned earlier by widen the range of grade. Feel free to leave opinion and have a healthy discussion.
Added on May 22, 2009, 3:38 pm@Topace111
I am certainly agree with you. During my study in form 5, the solutions to obtain an A in SPM were practises and memorizes. Haha!
This post has been edited by zidanedagger: May 22 2009, 03:38 PM 
May 22 2009, 03:34 PM
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