Ministry slammed over inappropriate question during SPM oral exam

 

Parents and an MP have questioned the rationale behind the ‘dream wedding’ question posed to Form 5 students sitting for the Bahasa Melayu oral paper. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A lawmaker and an education group have asked the education ministry to apologise over an “inappropriate” question during the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Melayu oral examination.

Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching asked the ministry to confirm that the question —“What is your dream wedding?” — was actually asked during the SPM Bahasa Melayu oral examination.

She said the question was “completely inappropriate” and should not be posed to Form 5 students.

“They are only 17 years old.

“They should not even be thinking about marriage because there are many other important issues in their lives, like what they want to achieve academically,” she said in a statement today.

“If that question was asked, apologise to all Form 5 students and their parents,” Teo said.

The ministry should strive to ask questions that were more relevant, the former deputy education minister said when responding to parents and students who took to social media to question the ministry’s decision to pose the question.

One parent said her son’s friend was stumped and frustrated when he was asked the question.

On Twitter, @beomjunie said she found it “weird” that minors were being asked such a question.

@poiuytrewqasd said: “It’s definitely irrelevant, unnecessary, weird and makes no sense at all. Really disappointing.”

However, one Twitter user, @bibimbap, believed the question fell under cultural themes, and suggested an answer: “(If you are a Malay), my dream wedding should be according to Malay customs because I do not want them to be forgotten.”

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said such questions did not encourage critical thinking.

“There are many more appropriate questions to ask students, like Covid 19, the types of vaccines and Undi18, all of which affect and involve student directly or indirectly,” he told FMT.

He said it was not surprising that there was an uproar among parents and students as this type of question reflected poorly on the examination board’s competency.

“The Malaysian Examination Board should explain the rationale behind such a question.

“Should the board fail to provide a good explanation, the members should step down and the affected students should be given another chance to take the oral examination,” he said. - FMT