FIRSTLY, let’s congratulate the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates who bagged straight As for their subjects, because this has been a difficult examination with so many uncertainties and disruptions.

Despite the many obstacles, including school closures, the 9,000-odd students have managed to grab the maximum number of distinctions.

The same plaudits go to those who did equally well, despite not getting straight As.

These top achievers certainly deserve to celebrate because they’ve been rewarded for their hard work and persistence. Their parents must surely be proud of them.

Last week, Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin announced that a total of 9,411 SPM candidates obtained straight As for 2020. This reflects improvement from the results in the 2019 SPM, when 8,876 candidates obtained straight As.

The number of candidates obtaining at least distinctions also improved by 0.84%, from 77,038 students in 2019 to 78,731 in 2020. Dr Radzi also said more candidates obtained at least a pass in their 2020 SPM, with 38.35% compared to 37.93% in 2019.

But I hope they tamper their exuberance soon with a dose of reality. Having been the pride of their parents, schools and community, they would want to do well in their next step – to sign up for the best courses in universities.

The most sought-after course must be medicine, with engineering likely a second option in the pecking order. Architecture, business, accountancy and computer science are favourites, too.

But medicine is the promised land because everyone thinks that by being a doctor, one is set for life. It’s not only a Malaysian dream, but more an Asian one because we’re still very conventional and traditional in our thinking.

Law used to be up there, but that has dramatically changed since students and parents realised that with lawyers, supply is exceeding demand.

TV shows about doctors such as Grey’s Anatomy enjoy better ratings than series about lawyers, unlike how it was in the 1980s.

Frontliners are hailed as heroes while lawyers/politicians are treated, well, differently now. Journalists probably rank just as poorly on the trust scale.

Our straight A achievers must accept that while they deserve a chance for their academic performance, there’s no such thing as entitlement to receive a spot at the medical faculty.

In the past few days, I’ve been asked by well-meaning uncles to help their nephews and nieces get places. My apologies, for “I have no jalan.”

Many politicians are also in a predicament because their constituents and party members would run to them for help to expedite applications.

Interestingly, the SPM results have been greeted cynically on social media. Many netizens, including teachers and university lecturers, have questioned the results being the best in the past five years.

Malay language social media is filled with comments and videos dismissing the strong performance, saying it was hard to believe when there were school closures, a lack of computers and Internet connectivity, especially in the rural areas.

It hasn’t helped that some students who were interviewed by the media said they were surprised at receiving distinctions for certain subjects.

Former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali expressed dismay over the country “becoming A-crazy” and that schools were ranked on grade achievements.

“We are missing the true purpose of schooling,” he wrote in his post, saying he was disturbed by Dr Radzi saluting top achievers as “this is a false signal.”

Prof Noor Azlan said he isn’t questioning the grading and scoring methods since they are technical in nature, but “my concern rests on the system.”

Honestly, without wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, I’m also concerned about the high number of straight A candidates each year.

I’m old school, I guess, because in my days of the Lower Certificate Education (LCE) and Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE), it was hard to get straight As, and there was no talk of compromise in grading.

The maximum number of As for LCE, or the Form 3 exam, was five distinctions, and if you fail, you get kicked out of school. Well, one could get 9As in the MCE, or equivalent of SPM, then.

But there was no sense of false achievements, or entitlement.

Many of our present students, who scored distinctions in English, for example, have found it difficult in foreign universities, especially in Britain and the US.

A Malaysian student who did very well in her SPM exam, scoring an A in English, found out that in the UK, her level would be a C or D.

Her parents in Kuala Lumpur received an email from her teacher in London expressing concern.

Being polite, the teacher hoped that her English would improve soon if she didn’t want to be left behind and expressed her “understanding” that “English is not her first language” but “nevertheless, she has to catch up fast.”

And this is an urban, English-speaking family, where the student had wide exposure to the language. After all, she consistently earned As in English in school exams, and in the SPM.

In many countries, including the US, medicine has become a post-graduate course. Applicants are required to already possess a bachelor’s degree.

Also, many foreign universities require applicants to take an entrance exam for the medical faculty, not relying merely on public test results.

While many institutes in Britain still accept fresh high school leavers, students need to write a “personal statement” on why they want to be doctors. Interviews are conducted and they are required to do voluntary work to help the local community. That’s how they filter out brainy kids without EQ, those who should just take up physics, biology or similar subjects instead of medicine.

Although Malaysia faces a shortage of specialists, the same can’t be said for general practitioners.

Last year, the Malaysian Medical Association reported that many small clinics were struggling to stay afloat. An estimated 200 were expected to shut down because of low patient count and high rental costs.

The MMA has also said there are too many medical students graduating each year and not enough hospitals to train and provide jobs for them, adding that if the situation continues, we’ll have an unwanted stockpile of untrained graduates.

In short, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t become a doctor. There are plenty of other options in life which could be more rewarding and enjoyable.

But most importantly, don’t let your straight As go to your head – you might be worth less than you think when you’re evaluated by different standards overseas.

Check first: Don’t be too quick to forward your so-called news without verifying it.

It’s so easy to pull the trigger on despatching ‘news’, but what if fact meets fiction?

A POPULAR piece of fake news making the rounds is the one involving two top business personalities and a valuer.

Their names need no mentioning to add more credence to the rumour but suffice to say, I know all three personally.

Two of them succumbed to Covid-19 or complications arising from their infection.

If you want to believe these spreaders, who are more infectious than Covid-19, all three were seated together at an annual dinner.

Facts tell us that companies have not held dinner events in the past 12 months.

The three of them were never together and attended no such event. When it was well refuted, the rumour took a new twist, like a variant, saying the three turned up at a Chinese organisation gathering. A new name even emerged!

The incredible part is that a lot of people believed the rumours, including those who are well-connected and could have easily verified it themselves.

But it would be fair to say that they also forwarded the message with little thought.

A few who checked with me even dismissed my explanation with cynicism, despite me stressing that one was a school mate and that I have professional relationships with the other two Tan Sri.

Last week, tuition teacher Mohd Nazaruddin Yusoff, 50, pleaded not guilty to posting fake news on Facebook at the Sessions Court in Johor Baru. His alleged offence is understood to be the first case since the Emergency Ordinance came into effect in March.

He allegedly claimed a traffic policeman died after receiving his second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

In Kangar, Perlis, Norjannah Rusli, 28, was fined RM5,000, in default of five months’ jail, by the Kangar Sessions Court after she pleaded guilty to spreading fake news about the pandemic via WhatsApp, with the intention of striking fear and concern among the public.

The offence was allegedly committed at a house in Jalan Pauh, Kampung Belukar, Arau, at 10.31am on April 18.

The charge was framed under Section 4(1) of the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) (No.2) 2021, which carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a jail term of up to three years, or both.

These peddlers of false news care little for the consequences of their actions, especially the emotional scars they leave. While public figures are immune to fake news, especially on social media, not everyone can handle it.

Another recent fake news involved a man running amok at a vaccination centre in an East Coast state. But it’s, in fact, an old video of an angry man with mental illness, and nothing concerning vaccination.

Even seasoned politicians have become victims of false claims, including certain political leaders who seem to take great joy in attacking the government, only to slip and fall on their own rhetoric.

I must confess that even I, as a reporter, have believed some of the fake news, including one about a list to approve essential services from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

I’m fortunate that I can verify it with my colleagues and government officials, but most Malaysian don’t have that privilege.

It’s also unfair for government officials to spend their time rebutting fake news, which seems to have gone into overdrive.

There are also politicians who use their positions to make allegations and cause untold damage, especially if they speak at the Dewan Rakyat, where they are exempt from defamation.

And if they’re popular opposition leaders, many tend to believe what they say because they seem to be more trustworthy than government Members of Parliament.

Their victims choose not to file legal action against these politicians because court cases take up too much time and are costly affairs. One university official was accused of money laundering by a politician without evidence, and the poor woman had no chance to even explain herself.

It has taken an emotional toll on her, but those who hurl accusations don’t seem to care. If there was any evidence, the best way would be to file a complaint with the relevant authorities.

Social media has been a boon as well as bane. It’s become the fastest way to disseminate information, but it’s also a platform to spread fake news which can create discord.

Anyone and everyone can be a reporter now, but the only difference is that the recognised media is trained to check and verify news. In terms of speed, we lose out sometimes, but our principle has always been that in case of doubt, leave it out.

Knowing my background as a reporter engaged in print, online and social media, clients sometimes tell me that they only swear by advertising in social media.

But when they run into trouble, they quickly run to the old school journalists for help. The pimply key influencers, with their legion of followers, become completely inept at crisis management.

The point is this – don’t be too quick to forward your so-called news. Check with reputable and credible news organisations, and not half-baked news sites and paid bloggers.

Or worse, the neighbourhood rumour mongers who claim to know everything. So, forward at your own peril.