Don’t use secondary schools as polling centres during SPM, education ministry says

The education ministry remains adamant that secondary schools should not be used as polling centres during the Johor state election next month.

Education Minister Radzi Jidin said using secondary schools as voting centres would throw preparations for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination into disarray.

He added that the current batch of SPM candidates were the ones whose lessons were most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also taken into account were the tables in examination hall or rooms which had been arranged according to a complete and orderly index, he said, adding that any changes could affect the examination results.

“In total, almost all of the rooms in schools are being used for the SPM examination and on the Thursday before polling day, the Mathematics examination has been scheduled. This will involve all SPM candidates nationwide, including in Johor,” he said in a video uploaded on Facebook.

He said there was also the Science paper to consider which involves many students and that any changes made for the election would make rescheduled arrangements more tedious later.

Radzi said this stance was also to allow the ministry to arrange new examination dates for students under quarantine.

“It will be the same as last year – if students are unable to sit for the examination due to quarantine, new dates will be given and that is why the seating arrangements are very important and there should not be any changes,” he said.

Radzi however said that the ministry had no issues if primary schools are used as polling centres.

Radzi previously said the ministry had sent an official letter to the Election Commission, asking it not to use secondary schools as polling centres in the Johor election to allow the smooth running of the SPM examination from March 2 to 29.