PMR, SPM, STPM... What Next?

UPSR has just concluded. PMR is just around the corner. And just beyond that are SPM and STPM. That means half of the secondary (Form Six included) school kids are gearing up for exams. And it is this time that the net is flurry of search activity for soalan bocor, tips peperiksaan, petua and petunjuk... Many are in this last minute scramble of the extra edge - one that will ensure that they get the A(s).

For those in the PMR group, this is more like an exercise of practice. Other than of identifying students into various streams, it's not going impact the students much. There are options though, like moving on to technical, science/residential schools where the selected ones will get better facilities and choices. I think our lower secondary education is a wasted opportunity for our young. Too much rote-learning, the lack of quality instruction plus the mad scramble for A(s) have actually turned our kids into non-thinking, non-hands-on and misters and misses softies. Many kids don't play physical games now.

SPM bears more weight. After SPM, many will move on to Form 6, or do their A-levels at colleges (either on FA-MA money or scholarships) or even sign up for the various programmes -SAM, SAT, etc... Most will not want to stay for Form 6 for these reasons. First these young people cannot wait to get out from the home. There is this great urge to spread their wings and leave. They want to be anywhere except home. Second, Form 6 is tough, much tougher than Matriculation (our simplified pre-university education which was formulated to enable the bumiputeras to gain entrance to the local universities). Third, they say they save time. But I think time saved is not an important. What is one year earlier? Most people have to slog like a donkey for the rest of their lives, anyway.

STPM... the final stop before you leave home and school. It's arguably one of the toughest exams (not just in Malaysia) and perhaps with credibility left in our education system. You've got to work hard that's for sure but it can also be a time of self discovery. 2 more years at home would actually prepare the students better for college / university life. Plus, it's free. And you save RM25 - 50K! That's a lot of money for most families! The young people may not realize it yet but staying at home offers a degree of comfort compared to living on their own. But it's easier to scale Gunung Kinabalu than try to convince them to stay. And parents seem to give in to the various pressures.

So at this time of the year, heavy clouds hang over the heads of many. Stress level is also up among the parents. After the year long of ferrying their children for school, tuitions, extra classes, I guess the month of December would be greatly welcomed. Exams... like it or not, they're necessary in this world of ours.