THE Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination will continue as scheduled, with standard operating procedure (SOP) in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 among pupils and teachers, Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said.

He said although there was a significant increase in new Covid-19 cases, the percentage of patients in categories 4 and 5 was small.

“The Education Ministry (MOE) is committed to ensure that schools operate in a smooth, orderly and safe manner, and that the SOP set continue to be complied with.

“This commitment is made taking into account the smooth implementation of SPM 2020 in February last year, and we also already have a complete SOP in place for it,” he told reporters after an engagement session with educators and the Kota Iskandar Parent-Teacher Association in Johor Baru today.

He said the situation now was also different, with more than 90% of Form 5 pupils this year fully vaccinated.

SPM will take place from March 3 to 29.

On Covid in schools, Radzi said there were cases involving teachers and students in school premises, but the percentage was very small.

“The school cluster is very small, involving only 0.5% of the total number of non-boarding schools, comprising more than 10,000 premises nationwide.

“Meanwhile, we (MOE) will continue to work with the Health Ministry to ensure that schools comply with the SOP set,” he said.

In the meantime, Radzi encouraged more parents to register their children aged between five and 11 to get the vaccine through the National Covid-19 Children’s Immunisation Programme. – Bernama, February 12, 2022.