Orang Asli students rise above challenges to excel in SPM, STPM

BANGI - The recipients of the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) academic excellence award for the 2022 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) have proven that anyone can succeed if they put their mind to it.

The Orang Asli students managed to soar above all their challenges to excel academically.

Nurul Atiqah Ithnani Idrus, 18, said when she was in primary school her schoolmates often told her she would not succeed because of her background.

"Because of that experience, I want to succeed to prove them wrong, that Orang Asli people can also succeed," she told reporters when met after receiving the award here today.

In addition to her outstanding academic performance, Nurul Atiqah is a ‘hafiza’ (memoriser of the Quran) who aspires to be a dentist.

Meanwhile, the recipient of the Jakoa excellence award for STPM, Mazwin Faulin Mohd Azlin, 20, who obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.84 said the urge to change her family’s fate for the better was her motivation to study hard.

"...I want to succeed and be an example to my siblings and friends to succeed together," she said, adding that she wanted to further her studies in the field of education and become a teacher. - BERNAMA