SPM is the biggest examination for Form Five students and they go through immense pressure to do extremely well in the exams.
Their outcome in the SPM paves the way for college and tertiary admissions.
Students who achieve excellence are offered scholarships and grants to pursue disciplines in prestigious foreign institutions.
The academically inclined students score a string of As and Bs.
Their achievement is no mean feat due to the hours of study put in, the sacrifices made and the mental and physical strength to withstand the examination pressure.
Meanwhile, most of the non-academically inclined students scoring a string of Cs and lower resign themselves to mediocrity.
So, this leads us to the inevitable question, does scoring As in the SPM exams lead to success in life?
Success is a subjective word and it differs from one individual to another.
To some success is equated with having big houses, driving fast cars and having lots of money while to others success has a decent-paying job and to others being happy is a success.
There are many doors and platforms to achieving success.
The vast majority of students who score mediocre results in the exams go to college and technical institutes to learn some technical and vocational skills.
Others join the workforce or venture into business and become successful through hard work, perseverance and self-belief.
Not all who get As in the SPM exams have become successful.
There are no surveys done to show that straight-A students lead successful lives.
Some did not perform well in the exams and have become successful in their lives.
Each of us has to discover and find the door to reap success.
The future is in your hands. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.
No matter what results you get in the SPM, remember it is not the end of the world.
The sun will still rise tomorrow morning. Life goes on.
Our school system only tests and grades students according to their academic prowess.
Academic intelligence does not take into account the multiple intelligences of students.
Just look around at the successful people in the country and the world, and you will find that many of them were failures in school but had other bits of intelligence and skills, and became a success in those disciplines.
Creativity, good communication skills, talent, passion, hard work, perseverance, determination and a positive attitude are prerequisites of success in life.
Finally, let us not equate success with money and wealth because the richest people in the world are not necessarily successful and happy.
External factors such as success and wealth give you temporal happiness but friendships and relationships give you love, joy, peace and lasting happiness.
So, to those who are not the super high achievers in the SPM exams, “lift your chin and walk tall, follow your hearts, do what you think is best, believe in yourself and you will be happy and successful in life”.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
