Schoolkids enjoy holidays, SPM students knuckle down

 

Time for some fun: Nur Azlini (left) posing for a photo with her students from Kelantan during their school holiday trip to George Town. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: With the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination getting underway just as the school holidays begin, Julius Tan expects to see his younger sister enjoying outings with his parents while he slogs away at home.“She is in primary school and on holiday now while I study for my exam.

“I have completed my exam preparations but will be spending my time studying with some rest in between.

“We have Friday off every week and I will probably head out to relax with my friends or take part in sports.

“We cannot be stressed when studying or sitting for the exam, so I will do things that will keep me in a good mood,” said the 18-year-old, whose last paper falls on March 13.

Tan, who planned to get his driving licence once he was done with his exam, said he would also visit education fairs to look for tertiary education courses that appealed to him.

“My friends and I also plan to head down to Kuala Lumpur or elsewhere for a break after SPM,” he said.

Fellow student Tristan Goh, 18, said he was going through past-year exam papers and checking to see which areas he still needed to improve on.

“I do balance my day with some exercise as it is unhealthy to stay indoors all day studying.

“However, I have put all my social outings on hold until the papers are over.

“SPM is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I would prefer to concentrate on it,” he said.

Goh added that he was looking forward to gaining employment following the exam for a bit of working experience.

Over at the George Town heritage enclave, parents were seen taking their children around to explore the area as the school holidays kicked off.

Spotted on a school trip to jump-start the holidays yesterday were a group of 36 students from Kelantan.

School counsellor Nur Azlini Md Rasdi, 38, said they arrived two days ago and would be heading home soon.

“We are on a three-day visit to Penang as part of a school trip for the Forms Three and Four boarding students at our school.

“We went to Universiti Sains Malaysia and Penang Hill on Friday. Now we are checking out the heritage enclave.

“It has been fun so far and we enjoyed eating pasembur here,” she said.

Entrepreneur Hafizah Sabri, 43, from Kuala Lumpur, was also in Penang to pick her daughter up from a boarding school in Balik Pulau.

“We usually drive down every few months to visit her but this time, since it is the year-end break, we are here to take her back home,” she said.

“Since the school holidays have begun, I brought along my younger children as well.”

Hafizah noted that tourism had picked up in Penang post-pandemic.

“We had to book the hotel in advance and noticed that many places were fully booked and the prices had increased,” she said.

Hafizah added that her family would make a stopover in Cameron Highlands before heading back to Kuala Lumpur. - Star