BATU PAHAT: The Education Ministry (MOE) has proactively identified 133 alternative centers for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination across six flood-prone states, ensuring that the exams proceed uninterrupted despite potential weather disruptions.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Education Director-General Azman Adnan emphasized that the initiative is designed to address the challenges posed by frequent flooding in states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Pahang, Johor, and Sabah. The respective State Education Departments have been instructed to activate ‘Ops Payung,’ a plan to assist both candidates and exam personnel affected by flooding.

Azman explained that as a contingency measure, candidates will be accommodated in schools with hostels during the exams, mirroring arrangements made during recent oral tests. He assured that if any designated exam center is impacted by floods, candidates will be relocated to the predetermined alternative centers. This announcement was made during a press conference following his visit to observe the first day of the SPM written exams at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tinggi Batu Pahat.

Additionally, Azman confirmed that the SPM exams in Johor will proceed as planned this Monday despite a replacement holiday due to the state’s transition to a Saturday-Sunday weekend. The exams will include English Paper 1 and 2 and Tasawwur Islam, with 49,980 candidates expected to participate.

The weekend shift in Johor, announced on October 7 last year by the Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail, is set to begin on January 1, 2025, with the approval of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, based on advice from the Johor Islamic Religious Department. The transition will create an unusual six-day workweek from Sunday, December 29, 2024, to Friday, January 3, 2025, as January 1, 2025, falls on a Wednesday.