THE hiring of invigilators without an education background is subject to rules, standard operating procedures, and the relevant laws to safeguard the integrity of public school examinations, Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying told the Dewan Negara today.

She said the invigilators would also be supervised by experienced invigilators who are teachers.

“To ensure integrity and professionalism, these invigilators will be required to sign a form under the Official Secrets Act 1972, and declarations that they have no prior criminal or drug abuse records, as well as a health declaration,” she added.

Lim was answering a question by Senator Kesavadas A. Achyuthan Nair on the significance of hiring members of the public as invigilators and how their appointment is justified in terms of character, integrity, and professionalism.

She said that based on projections, 137,000 invigilators would be needed for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination this year, adding that 20% of them will be from those without an education background.

Lim said to ensure the credibility and integrity of the examination, these invigilators will not be assigned to positions like – chief examination supervisor and chief supervisor of practical tests, deputy chief examination supervisor, area supervisor, and deputy area supervisor – which will be filled by teachers or education officers still in service.

Earlier, the Education Ministry opened up the appointment of public examination invigilators to the public for the first time, starting with the SPM examinations in 2023, which will be conducted from December 5 to March 7, 2024. – Bernama, December 7, 2023.