A total of 30,988 or 7.33 percent of the 462,940 candidates who sat for the 2013 Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination scored grade A in all subjects, compared with 30,474 last year.

    

Education director-general Khair Mohamad Yusof said it showed an increase of 0.41 percent or 514 candidates from 2012. He said the overall performance for English, Mathematics, Science and Islamic Education showed an improvement based on Subject Grade Point Average (GPMP).

    

"However, the GPMP for Malay language showed a slight drop of 0.03 point to 2.35 point, from 2.32 last year," he told a media conference to announce the 2013 PMR results in Putrajaya today.

    

Khair said the number of candidates who obtained grade E in all subjects increased to 307 (0.07 percent) this year, from 241 candidates (0.05 percent) last year.

The results also showed the urban and rural candidates performing almost equally well with an average grade point of 2.56 and 2.81, respectively, he added.

    

For candidates with special needs, he said, 11 of them scored grade A in all subjects out of the total 2,300 students who sat for the examination this year.

    

"The number of candidates with special needs who did not pass the minimum competency level in all subjects increased by 27 per cent (0.86 percent), from 22 candidates (1.27 percent) in 2012 to 49 candidates (2.13 percent) this year," he added.

    

In a related development, Khair said that from next year, PMR would not be held as public examinations, but as school-based assessments where students would be assessed based on their sports and co-curricular activities and psychometric assessment.

GPMP in KL higher than average  

In KUALA LUMPUR, Federal Territory education director Abdullah Mad Yunus said 1,683 of the 19,440 candidates obtained A in all subjects they sat for.    

He said the GPMP for 10 of the 14 subjects in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory was higher than the average grade at the national level.

Four schools scored 100 percent passes and they are Sekolah Menengah Sains Selangor, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Kuala Lumpur, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki and Sekolah Menengah Agama Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan.

    

Two candidates with special needs obtained grade A in all the subjects they sat for, he added.

In ALOR SETAR, the number of candidates in Kedah who scored A in all subjects they sat for increased to 6.8 percent, from 5.94 percent in 2012.

Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir said the number of candidates who scored A in all subjects increased by 0.14 percent, from 2,083 in 2012 to 2,264 this year.

    

"The overall achievement showed an increase of 2.52 per cent from 64.29 percent last year to 66.78 percent this year. The average grade increased by 0.08 point, from 2.81 in 2012 to 2.73 this year," he said after the announcement of the PMR results for Kedah at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultanah Bahiyah today.

    

He said 13 schools obtained 100 percent passes in PMR this year.

    

In MALACCA, state education director Kasim Mohamad said 1,011 of the 13,661 candidates in the state obtained A in all subjects, an increase of 0.56 per cent from 982 candidates last year.

    

He said the State Average Grade (GPN) was the best in 10 years and that six schools in Malacca obtained 100 percent passes from only three last year.

The six schools are SM Sains Muzaffar Shah, SMK Tinggi Perempuan Melaka, SMK Ghafar Baba, SMKA Sharifah Rodziah, SMK Dang Anum and SMA (JAIM) Assaiyidah Khadijah.

Result in Terengganu the best in nine years

In TERENGGANU, the state education director, Zakaria Hussin, said this year’s PMR result was the best in nine years with 1,733 or 8.19 percent of the 21,159 candidates obtained A in all subjects, an increase of 175 people or 1.04 percent from 1,558 candidates (7.15 percent) last year.

Twenty-eight of the 138 schools achieved the excellent School Average Grade (GPS) of between 1.00 and 1.80, he added.

In PERAK, state education director Muhamat Roli Hassan said 3,200 students scored straight As, compared with 3,176 candidates last year.

He said a total of 38,872 candidates sat for the PMR examination at 315 centres in the state.

A total of 2,205 candidates from urban schools and 905 students from rural schools obtained A in all subjects, he added.

In SARAWAK, state education director Abdillah Adam said a total of 1,729 of the 37,375 candidates scored A in all subjects, an increase of 0.05 percent, from 4.58 percent last year to 4.63 percent this year.

“The achievement by this year’s candidates based on the GPN is the best in 11 years since 2003. The state GPN this year is 2.86,” he added.

Abdillah said 69.76 percent or 26,072 candidates achieved the minimum competency level D this year.

In JOHOR, state education director Mohd Nor A Ghani said a total of 3,948 candidates scored straight As, compared with 3,916 candidates last year.

223 get 9As, 1,633 with 8As in Penang

In PENANG, a total of 2,268 of the 23,164 candidates obtained A in all subjects, including 232 students with 9As and 1,633 students with 8As, state education director Ahmad Tarmizi Kamaruddin said.

Sekolah Menengah Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabuddin emerged the best school, followed by Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Jambul and SMK Agama Al-Irshad, he added.

In SEREMBAN, 1,653 candidates (9.5 percent) from government schools obtained A in all subjects.

Five of the 10 schools with the best PMR results in Negri Sembilan are the Tunku Kurshiah College, Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak (SDAR), Sekolah Menengah Sains Rembau, Sekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Ja’afar and Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Labu.

The others are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Datuk Haji Abu Hassan, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan King George Kelima, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Jempol, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Sheikh Haji Mohd Said and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Puteri.

In SABAH, state deputy education director Maimunah Suhaibul said 23,622 candidates or 63.86 per cent obtained the minimum D in all subjects.

However, she said the number of candidates who obtained straight As dropped to only 916 people this year, from 922 in 2012.

“This year’s GPN showed an increase, at 2.95 from 3.01 last year,” she added.

Ten schools with the best results are SM Sains Lahad Datu, SM Sains Sabah, SMKA Kota Kinabalu, SM Islamiah, Tawau; SMKA Tun Ahmad Shah, SMKA Mohd Ali, Ranau; SMKA Sandakan, SM St Micheal, Penampang; SMKA Tun Mustapha and SM All Saints.

In PERLIS, 307 candidates obtained A in all subjects compared with 244 candidates last year.

Eleven of the candidates obtained 7As, 236 candidates with 8As and 60 candidates scored 9As.

In KELANTAN, this year’s PMR result was the best in six years, said state education director Hussain Awang.

A total of 1,655 or 6.78 percent of the 34,000 candidates obtained straight As.

“The overall percentage of passes, including of candidates from government-aided religious schools, is 67.98 percent or 18,449 candidates compared with 18,807 candidates or 65.80 percent in 2012,” he added.

SMS Tengku Abdullah in Raub is best school in Pahang

Meanwhile in PAHANG, the achievement made by its candidates was the best in 20 years, with 1,645 of them obtaining A in all subjects, from 1,398 candidates last year, state education director Rosdi Ismail said.

SM Sains Tengku Abdullah in Raub emerged the best school. The normal daily school with the best PMR result is Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Rangin.

In SELANGOR, the percentage of candidates obtaining A in all subjects increased by 1.27 percent or 5,435 people.

Selangor education director Mahmud Karim said the number of candidates from urban schools who obtained A in all subjects increased by 0.72 percent, from 926 people last year to 1,045 people this year,.

“The gap between urban and rural students is getting smaller, from 7.06 percent last year to 6.3 per cent this year,” he told reporters at his office today.

- Bernama