Metal detectors to be used at all exam centres in Johor to tighten security
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School staff using a scanner on students at a Johor secondary school to check for prohibited devices ahead of exams.
PHOTO: YBNANAN/FACEBOOK
JOHOR BAHRU – Johor has tightened security for 2025’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination by fitting metal detectors at all examination centres, said state executive councillor Aznan Tamin.
The education and information committee chairman said all 372 centres have been supplied with at least one unit by the Johor Education Department to prevent students from bringing prohibited items into examination halls as a precautionary measure.
“This is important because with today’s technology, there are devices that can record or transmit information.
“We want to prevent such incidents from happening in SPM centres.
“The metal detectors will be used daily throughout the examination period, with students screened before they enter the exam hall for both morning and afternoon sessions,” he told reporters after visiting a secondary school on Nov 25.
The SPM examination is Malaysia’s equivalent of the O levels and is taken by most students in their last year of secondary school.
He said the use of metal detectors could potentially be expanded to regular school days, but the matter would be discussed in 2026.
“For now, this is implemented specifically for SPM. We are looking at expanding it to normal school days as part of ongoing safety measures.
“This measure will also discourage students from bringing banned items to school,” he said, adding that a total of 49,654 candidates in Johor are sitting for the SPM in 2025.
Meanwhile, he said early preparations had been made to ensure the examination runs smoothly statewide in the event of floods.
“We have identified possible affected districts such as Segamat and Mersing and have arranged contingency plans with the district education offices.
“Coordination has been carried out at the state and district levels to ensure that SPM can continue even if certain schools are used as temporary flood relief centres,” he said.
Mr Aznan also highlighted that free meals for SPM candidates have commenced statewide.
“Starting today, all SPM candidates in Johor will receive free meals. This is a state government initiative.
“This has been coordinated by the education department and schools, and lunch will be provided for exam candidates,” he said.
He hoped that the exam period, which runs until Dec 23, would proceed without disruptions.
“I pray that our students will be able to answer well and achieve excellent results. We want Johor to continue recording strong SPM performance,” he added. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
