The Day After SPM - A New Beginning

On my way to a Form One class, I walked past a crowd of ex-students who were crammed against a notice board, checking their examination results. I stopped in my tracks when a swift figure dashed out through a door in front of me, running and jumping along the corridor as he yelled, “I made it! I finally made it!” in a paroxysm of ecstasy. The jubilant boy was Cornelian, a prefect who had left our school after sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination the previous year. Like many other ex-students, he had returned to school at ten this morning to collect his result slip. It must have been the fulfilment of his target—or, rather, the surprise of having achieved the unexpected feat of good results—that had launched him into a fit of celebration. 

March 3, 2016 was a day of mixed emotions at SMK St. Joseph Miri. Upon receiving their results, some students reacted as wildly as Cornelian had, while some, such as Sharon Hii, were an oasis of calm. Sharon had met expectations by becoming the only student in the history of our school to score an A+ for every subject she had taken. Some smiled from ear to ear, hugging anyone they saw, while some were reduced to tearful emotion. Whatever results they achieved, a new phase of life had just begun, and they were one step closer to adulthood.

To those who did well on the SPM, you may now be in the process of considering where you should further your studies. Don’t fret, but be patient and careful in making the right decision. For those of you whose results were less satisfactory, do not lose heart, because a different path for success may be in store for you. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Many people are able to carve a niche in society without going to university. Keep your eyes open, and you will see many opportunities beckoning you. You may suffer in the beginning, but life will be more promising once you get the hang of it.

When my SPM results were released in 1989, the world spelt doom for me. Although I scored three distinctions and four credit passes, I failed to obtain a minimum C6 for my Bahasa Malaysia and was denied a place in Form Six. Sad and distraught, I pleaded with my principal to grant me a place to study in Form Six, but she declined, saying that she could not go against the existing education law. “You must go to a private school,” she said. “It’s not possible for you to continue your studies at any government school.”

Her suggestion knocked a load of sense into my mind, and I enrolled at St. Patrick’s, the present Inti College on Stampin Road, Kuching. From that day onwards, a new chapter in my life began. I left my family in Miri and learnt to stand on my own feet in Kuching. Life at a private school was poles apart from that at a government school. Every now and then, the school suffered a high turnover of teachers, which took a toll on our studies. Despite the setback, most of the students in my class were studious, and they always took the initiative to study in groups. From them, I learnt to be more responsible for my own learning. Gone were the days when my parents had to always remind me to knuckle down to work.

At the time, my ambition was to become a teacher, and deep down, I knew that the only way to realise this dream was to achieve a credit pass in Bahasa Malaysia. Lacking the criterion because of my failure, I registered for the July Paper, hoping to obtain a redeeming result that would enable me to fulfil my dream. To prepare for the exam, I read voraciously to improve my command of the language. I also learnt numerous useful answering techniques from Encik Isa, an experienced Malay Language teacher at St. Patrick’s. Under his guidance, many of my language issues were fixed, and my writing improved by leaps and bounds. I always told myself that my future was in my hands, and no one—not even my parents—could really determine what I wanted to be. I was no longer a snivelling boy who kept lamenting about the unfairness of fate. My life had become more purposeful, guided by a dream.

On the day of the examination, I found myself answering the questions with confidence, and true to my wish, I became one of the few candidates at St. Patrick’s to score a credit pass. Two years later, the completion of my studies at St. Patrick’s, coupled with my hard-earned credit pass in Bahasa Malaysia, paved the way for me to become a trained teacher.

Time lapped and receded. Now, I am well into my twentieth year of teaching, and whenever I see the students come to collect their SPM results, a smile of empathy crosses my face. I still staunchly believe that a new life begins right after you have collected your SPM result slip. To cope well with the situation, you should face every single challenge in your life with determination, and I can assure you that despite sustaining some injuries, you will become the victor at the end of your journey.