Parents Order SPM Retakes Despite 4 As: Student’s Engineering Dreams Hit Family Roadblock
Despite scoring straight As in four subjects including Mathematics and English, and earning a B in History, the student faces mandatory retakes of science subjects they passed with lower grades – all due to unyielding parental pressure.
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A student’s struggle with parental control over their academic future has sparked widespread online discussion, with the online community offering support and sharing personal experiences about the complex reality of academic choices.
The results:
- Scored Straight As in: Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, and Islamic Studies
- Achieved a B in History
- Passed science subjects with C, D, and E grades
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful… But I’m just so disappointed and sad,” the student shared.
My parents are making me repeat Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Additional Mathematics. Their decision is final, and I can’t fight back. I’m just so tired.
The student later revealed: “They won’t respect my decision… Ya Allah, I don’t have the strength anymore. I actually want to study engineering at polytechnic.”
The alternatives – matriculation and foundation studies – were also rejected by parents.
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Outpouring of Support and Practical Advice
One commenter, @azie_adzmi, questioned why parents couldn’t see that their child clearly struggled with science subjects, while suggesting a compromise: enrolling in university with current results while retaking SPM merely to appease parents.
A parent’s perspective came from @izmene6464, who shared her own experience with her child’s similar academic situation.
Despite the child receiving an F in Additional Mathematics and an E in Chemistry, along with three As and three Bs, she chose to support her child’s strengths rather than pushing for retakes.
I’m still proud of her. I didn’t ask her to retake these subjects. Instead, I asked her to choose courses based on her strengths.
Encouraging success stories emerged, including one from @nannannnnaa about her brother, who had similar results but now earns a monthly income of RM10,000 to RM15,000 after pursuing a path aligned with his capabilities.
Meanwhile, @elizabeth___elisa offered a sobering reality check about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers in Malaysia.
Having achieved 11As in SPM herself, she admitted regretting entering the STEM field, noting that other fields like accounting often offer better job prospects in the Malaysian market.
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