Pii eM aR.

Dear Reader,

First off,
Congratulations to all Ex-Form Three's this year who achieved good results.
And to the other batches of Ex-Form Three's of the past who achieved good results.

I thank God, I too received good results for my PMR. I'm truly grateful, I am, but...

PMR. 'Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah'. I fail to understand its true purpose for even existing.
Is it a filter? To know who is eligible to opt for Boarding Schools?
Is it a mental target? An academic goal that the Government has set, so you know what to aim for and at what level you currently are at?

Or is it just a test? To know whether we've been paying attention for the last three years? If it is, what's the point of paying attention? To prepare yourself for SPM? Why is it then that some students who got straight A's in PMR can flunk SPM, which is the very exam that will help you choose your career field?

In my opinion, from pondering and hearsay, the PMR exams do not prepare you much for the following two years. I heard that the transition between 'PMR candidate' to 'SPM student' is a sort of 'Culture Shock', because it's a whole new thing altogether. And the metaphorical 'gap' between the two is much larger compared to the "UPSR candidate to PMR student" gap. New syllabus, new subjects and it gets more in-depth compared to the shallow amount of information that we have been accustomed to receiving for pretty much the whole of our lives, particularly the Sciences. During the previous years of our lives, we have been learning basic information which merely scratch the surface of their respective fields ie. Physics, Chemistry, Biology.

The Government said recently that they will slowly change the Mathematics and Science subjects to be retaught in Malay over a number of years to 'cushion' the transition.

Then why can't they do the same for the PMR to SPM transition? Make there to be an actual bridge between the two.
You could make Form 4 slightly easier, and then toughen up Form 3's PMR.

It might work. It's just a suggestion. But whatever effective solution the Government comes up with, they should do it. The problem can't just be left like that. And yes, it is a problem.

Alhamdulillah. I praise God Almighty for granting me eight A's for my PMR. I pray that this small success will not lead me astray and cause me to slack off, making me feel as if I've just conquered the world. Amin!


Well then,

See you on the other side.
Peace. Love. Joy.