The number of Sijil Darjah Khas Agama (SDKA) 2022 candidates who scored excellent results with seven aggregates decreased to 79 from 135 the previous year.
State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said the total number of candidates who passed the examination also decreased from 16,429 to 11,622, while those who failed were 8,406.
He said that one of the causes of the decline was online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to students’ poor performance.
“Although this should not be used as an excuse, online learning has limitations compared to physical education. We admit that formal physical classes are the best.
“Another factor is the shortage of teachers,” he told reporters when announcing the SDKA examination results at the Iskandar Johor Islamic Centre here today.
According to Mohd Fared, Pontian maintains its position as the best district with a passing percentage of 76.75 per cent and a grade point average (GPA) of 2.64, while the school with the highest GPA of 1.09 was Sekolah Agama Penjara Simpang Renggam.
In a separate development, Mohd Fared said the first batch of haj pilgrims from the state, comprising 142 people will leave for the Holy Land from the Senai International Airport (LTAS), at 8 pm tomorrow.
“My advice to the pilgrims is to kindly take care of their health and make proper preparations, the conditions there are definitely hotter than usual, so consult a Tabung Haji doctor if you are not feeling well,” said Mohd Fared.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency