You may think Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) are only for students to graduate from high school. It is not the case and anyone can register to sit for SPM once they are 16 years old.
The the recent SPM examination, a 65 year old senior citizen named Salman Ahmad had went for the SPM examination in Negeri Sembilan. He is among the 645 private candidates, out of a total of 16,554 candidates for SPM 2020.
Despite being a 65 year old retiree, Salman Ahmad is determined to sit for the SPM examination as he wanted to proof to the society, especially the younger generation that age is not a barrier to knowledge and success.
He said that he took the Malaysia Certificate of Education (MCE) examination in 1973, and all the subjects were in English at that time. He then further this studies at Mara Institute of Technology in the field of Public Administration. Now, he wanted take up the challenge of sitting for SPM examination as well.
“I also want to set an example and be a motivation to my grandchildren. Age is no barrier to learning, the pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong process,” he told reporters after sitting for the English Paper 1 at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan King George V here today.
Salman Ahmad had made several preparations for the examination. He had bought revision books and had his brother, who was a teacher to guide him. He even went for online courses to get additional knowledge.
“My family gave me a lot of support and encouragement. I am not shy, I am not surprised by what people say. As the saying goes, you’re never too old to learn, never stop learning from the cradle to the grave,” he said.
Apart from taking Bahasa Melayu, he is taking English and History in the current sitting. He intends to sit for the other subjects if he managed to get excellent results in this examination.
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