SPM Forecast Results Finally Permitted

The ministry had claimed that this is not a new ruling, only a reminder to institutions and students of Section 38 of the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555).

After vehement opposition from parents, students, and even colleges and universities, the Second Education Minister, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, released a statement saying that the ministry would review the act and come to a final decision on whether or not the forecast SPM results are permissible for applications to pre-tertiary or diploma programs.

(Source:themalaymailonline.com)

This controversy has finally come to a conclusion that pleases most institutions and parents. Today, the Education Ministry has backed down and allowed students to apply for the next term, starting January, with their forecasted SPM results. The Second Education Minister announced that this decision was made after extensive consultation with private education institutions and experts.

While they can apply with their forecasted results, students may only formally register for courses once their actual SPM results are released, and only if those results are the same or higher than what was forecasted. This decision is beneficial to both students and pre-university institutions.

A majority of foreign institutions had been accepting forecast results from Malaysian students as part of their applications. It was reported that a ministry circular was sent to private colleges and universities in May, reminding them of the prohibition on using SPM forecast results as an entrance requirement. However, this hasn’t been enforced for many years and cannot be enforced overnight.

(Source:themalaymailonline.com)

The official SPM exam is held in November. Its results are released only by the end of March in the following year. This makes it difficult students to apply to universities, and for universities to process applications in a timely manner for the coming academic term. Since the term starts in January, prospective students would be waiting for eight to nine-months to apply to private institutions. The trial exams are usually held in September, allowing students to get their predicted results early enough to apply to these institutions.

If the ministry had not decided to uphold the existing decision, it would have left many parents and students in a lurch. It could also have affected private institutions as well. Both pre-university institutions and universities would have needed to adjust their academic calendar to accommodate for the students who would be disallowed from applying due to the enforcement of this decision. This conclusion benefits students and institutions which might have ended up with a significantly smaller batch of students during the next intake. 

It was also announced that the upcoming SPM results will be released on March 3, 2015.