A DAP MP has called on the Education Ministry to explain the last minute change in the Moral Studies paper format and to award the same number of A+ and A for SPM students.

“It was horrendous that the students who sat for the SPM moral paper yesterday found out that the format of the Moral Studies was changed at the last minute.

NONE “This happened without any notice to the National Union of Teaching Profession and the students concerned,” said Kampar MP Ko Chung Sen ( left ) in a media statement.

“How can the ministry allow this to happen? The students had spent the last two years preparing for the Moral Studies in the format that was stipulated by the ministry,” he added.

If there were any changes to the format, Ko said, they should only come into force two years from now after everybody was informed of it.

He noted that students should not enter the examination hall and be surprised the moment they opened the examination paper.

“Many would have been thrown off guard. Mentally and psychologically, they would have required at least five to 10 minutes to settle down and adjust to the new format. They would not have performed as well as they expected from all the hard  work they put in,” he added.

Koh said the implication of not scoring an A+ in the SPM was significant for certain students.

“Some of them may have lost out on the scholarship and the university places because of this. There are already people calling for a re-sit of the paper.

“Some are calling for the grade of the Moral Studies to be discounted in the consideration of the scholarship and university placing applications,” he added.

In view of this, Ko urged Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to give a prompt explanation.

“It is no small matter as certain individuals’ lives are certainly dependent on the grades they get. I also urge the minister to make sure at least the same number of A+ and A be awarded when the results are released next year to avoid the expected unhappiness and the need for a re-sit.

“The application process for the universities would also not be affected. We owe it to our children to give them what they deserve for their efforts,” he said.