Chua (second right) receives her award presented by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia on April 29. Photo via Facebook/ Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar
KUCHING (May 1): A Sarawakian student has earned national recognition after being named among the top 10 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2025 candidates in the country.
Chua Poh Hui, a student of St Joseph’s Private Secondary School (SJPSS), is also the only candidate from Sarawak to make it onto the prestigious list.
According to a Facebook post by the school, Poh Hui received the award during a ceremony held at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on April 29, where it was presented by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia.
“Our heartiest congratulations to SJPSS student Chua Poh Hui (Class of 2025) on being awarded as one of the top 10 students in the whole of Malaysia for SPM 2025. She is the only one from Sarawak to receive this honour,” the school said, commending her hard work, dedication and achievements throughout her years there.
Meanwhile, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian also congratulated Poh Hui in a separate Facebook post, describing her accomplishment as a proud moment for Sarawak.
“Heartiest congratulations to Sarawakian SPM graduate Chua Poh Hui for earning a place on the national SPM Excellence honours list. Do us proud from the jungle of Borneo,” he said.
Dr Sim also extended his congratulations to her parents, both senior medical specialists at Sarawak General Hospital — Dr Chua Hock Hin, a prominent infectious disease physician and head of the Infectious Disease Unit, and Dr Chew Lee Ping, head of the Haematology Unit.
He noted that Poh Hui’s success reflects not only her dedication and perseverance, but also the strong support from her family.
According to a Bernama report, the ceremony on April 29 was graced by Raja Zarith Sofiah and saw contributions presented to 66 of the 210 recipients, comprising high-achieving students in the 2025 SPM and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) examinations from B40 families.
The recipients included 10 top students for each category — SPM National, SPM Johor, SPM Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, SPM Government-Aided Religious Schools and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA — as well as six students from the SPM Putrajaya category. Ten outstanding STAM students also received contributions.
The two-hour ceremony was also attended by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Ministry of Education secretary-general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim and Education director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad.
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