Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said today expressed disappointment over the claim by certain quarters that the state’s excellent public examination results were due to leaked question papers.

“If indeed there was a leakage in the question papers, then all the pupils and students should have scored ‘A’,” he said, dismissing the claim.

Speaking to reporters after presenting e-Books to 667 Year Four pupils in the Bandar state constituency at the Seri Iman complex in Kuala Terengganu, he said some people just refused to accept the capability of others.

Ahmad said the claim nullified the hard work put in by the government, teachers and parents in raising the level of education in the state.

“Nevertheless, the state government will continue with its efforts to raise the academic achievement of students in the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Human Resource Committee chairperson Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman said Terengganu remained committed to making history in national education by emerging as the first state to implement the virtual school concept throughout the state by 2015.

He said feedback from three schools - SK Teluk Kalong in the Kemaman district and SK Paya Bunga and SK Kompleks Seberang Takir in the Kuala Terengganu district - which adopted the concept as a pilot project showed that pupils and students showed eagerness to attend school.

“This year, we will implement the virtual school concept in 32 primary schools and two elite secondary schools, namely SMK Lembah Bidong, Setiu, and SMK Mak Lagam, Kemaman.

“The state government is confident of implementing the virtual class concept in primary schools state-wide by next year and the virtual school concept three years down the road,” he told reporters after a teacher-appreciation event in Kuala Terengganu.

Ahmad Razif said the state government spent RM300 million annually on the education sector, adding that it was as much as what it takes to administer some states.

- Bernama