STPM Candidate With Retinal Condition Achieves 3.92 CGPA With Support Measures

KOTA BHARU, June 18 (Bernama) -- Supported by special provisions such as a desk lamp and 30 per cent extra time, a candidate with a retinal condition went on to score a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.92 in the 2025 Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations.

Bariyyatul Busyra Ruziham, 20, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease, said the accommodations allowed her to sit the exam in comfort despite her vision impairment.

She explained that her vision easily blurs and strains, requiring her to use additional lighting when studying and during her examinations.

"If I study for too long, my eyes easily become tired and strained, so I prefer to study at 3 am when it is quiet and helps me focus better.

"I also increase font size when reading study materials and sometimes rely on friends to read notes or what the teacher writes on the whiteboard when my vision blurs," she said after the 2025 STPM results announcement ceremony at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kubang Kerian 2 here today.

An aspiring businesswoman who hopes to study at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bariyyatul Busyra shared that she once developed eye inflammation from extended laptop use, a condition that significantly disrupted her studies.

Meanwhile, her mother, Engku Radziah Engku Ahmad, 54, conveyed gratitude for her third child's achievement, noting that her daughter displayed remarkable determination in her studies despite her impaired vision.

"Despite her vision impairment, she worked incredibly hard to achieve these proud results, becoming one of the state's top special needs candidates," she said.

Engku Radziah, a teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Sireh, said the disease was first detected when her daughter was about five years old, after she noticed changes in how the child searched for dropped items and how she frequently fumbled to pick them up.

She said further hospital checks confirmed that Bariyyatul Busyra suffers from RP, adding that two of her other daughters also have the same condition.

-- BERNAMA