KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Education Department (JPNT) will activate ‘Ops Payung’ to enable candidates to sit for their examinations, including the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which began today, if the conduct of the examinations is affected by floods.
JPNT deputy director (School Management Sector) Azman Othman @ Abdullah said the operation would be mounted with the help of various parties, including security forces, in three situations in the event of floods.
If the floods hit only the examination centre while the surrounding area, candidates’ homes and the road leading to the centre are spared, the exam will be moved to another room which is not affected, he said when contacted today.
Azman said in the second scenario of floods affecting only the road leading to the exam centre, candidates would be directed to stay in relatives’ houses near the school or the school hostel if there is such a facility.
He said the third and most critical scenario would be when the exam centre, the road leading to the centre and its surrounding areas are flooded.
“In such a situation, the first course of action is shifting the original exam centre to another school in the same district and identified as unlikely to be hit by floods. SPM candidates and teachers on duty must be moved to the (new) centre and wait until the exam is completed.
“JPNT with the cooperation of the state government will provide an alternative exam centre in any nearby district if the first course of action cannot be implemented,” he said.
Azman said 18,492 candidates are sitting for SPM at 176 examination centres throughout the state beginning today.
“So far none of the areas have been hit by floods and the Bahasa Melayu oral test went smoothly in all exam centres,“ he added. -Bernama