Image taken from NST.com
As Malaysians, we all know the year-long suspense and intensity of preparing for an important exam, such as UPSR, PT3, and for some of us, even IGCSE. The 2020 class of Form 5 students faced no different with the long-awaited SPM. But as if the stress of studying wasn’t enough, the COVID19 pandemic brought even more uncertainty, pressure, and frustration to the continuation of physical classes, as well as the mental and emotional struggle to stay focused while self-studying at home. Amidst trying to find solid ground to prepare for the exams, however, came other news.
Two Batches of SPM Students?
In March 2020, it was announced that the SPM exams would be postponed to November, with later announcements pushing it further to February 22nd 2021.
“I am not sure if the batch from Form 5 this year will still be around when I teach the new class next year. I am not very clear on this. If this is the case, I am worried that the situation would be burdensome for the students and teachers,” – Hana, a school teacher shared in response to the announcements.
The answer to this came when the Education Minister then explained that the Form 5 students set to sit for their SPM in 2020 will be joined by a junior Form 5 batch in 2021. This means TWO batches of SPM students fighting for the same amount of attention, time & resources from the teachers.
For the SPM2020 students, this was going to be tough because they had already lost a year of studies with the pandemic & no physical classes. Self-study was also limited to the fact that the students already understood the topics, where this is not the case for some, especially in subjects like Science or Mathematics.
These external factors in combination with an already highly stressful year contributed to a lot of negative emotions for these students who still wanted to perform well in the exam but didn’t know how.
Image taken by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu @ Unsplash.com
Can tech help solve this problem?
When the team behind AskBee, an on-demand video tutoring app, found out about this issue, they wanted to bridge the gap. What if SPM 2020 students from different backgrounds could seek for tutoring through their platform? Would this help students who were struggling and also lighten the burden of teachers who had too much on their plate?
With that they launched #SAVESPM2020, a campaign to get qualified school teachers & also university and/or college students to sign up as volunteer tutors that would help struggling students through 15 mins personal tutoring sessions for only RM1. All the students have to do is to select a topic they need help with & the app will blast the request out to volunteer tutors who will accept the request and tutor on-demand.
But wait, who are these volunteer tutors?
Tutors on the AskBee platform will comprise of everyday Malaysians! If you are a teacher with knowledge and experience in SPM subjects, or a college or undergraduate student with A’s in SPM subjects, you can sign up to be a tutor!
All it takes is 2 hours a week on the app and you’ll be helping someone in need receive quality education.
Let’s #SAVESPM2020!
With the right help, we believe that SPM 2020 students have hope of doing well. So if you or someone you know is taking SPM this year, share this link with them so they can get the help they need.
There is great strength when a community comes together, working towards the same cause. Even through difficult hurdles like finishing major exams through a pandemic, hope can prevail. So, this January, let’s join hands, and #SaveSPM2020!
Oh, and one last bit, money collected from using the app’s services will also be donated back into education focused NGOs like Teach for Malaysia, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang and more. Get help, give help and pay it forward.
Image taken from askbee.my
For more info on #SaveSPM2020, visit https://askbee.my/savespm2020
Sources: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/11/08/education-minister-spm-and-stpm-postponed-to-feb-22-and-march-8-2021 | https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/19/students-sitting-for-major-exams-doing-their-own-revision | https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/11/09/parents-and-students-appeal-to-ministry-to-lock-down-spm-dates | https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/06/12/teachers-parents-students-in-the-dark
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