Speaking to New Straits Times, Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) president Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said 17-year-olds should not be thinking about marriage given the prevalent issue of child marriages in the country and students marrying immediately or shortly after leaving school.
“Oral is about articulation and you can say why not, but I think questions should be on more relatable subjects. There are child marriages; they could have asked what’s the right marriageable age instead, climate change, recycling, public transport, even Undi 18 which directly affects them as some of them would become the first batch of 18-year-olds to vote in the Johor state election,” Noor Azimah said.
“However, now since this issue is gaining traction among parents and students, the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate should come up with an articulate explanation as to why they chose this.”
Similarly, Sisters In Islam executive director Rozana Isa was quoted saying that it was totally outrageous that even now these are the kind of questions students in the Malaysian school system have to deal with.
According to Rozana, it’s worrying that this was the best that MOE can come up with especially when students are facing grave academic and economic concerns with regards to access to virtual classrooms, Internet facilities and gadgets as well as sustaining themselves throughout the period of lockdowns.
“This question also seems to give emphasis to being marriage-centric, when we should be opening all possibilities to youth and letting them do what they want with their life in the future,” she added.