TOP ACHIEVERS AT KTEHZA WHO EXCELLED IN STPM MOTIVATED BY FAMILY'S HARDSHIP

GEORGE TOWN, July 23 (Bernama) — The challenges faced by both parents, working as a taxi driver and a cleaner, provided the inspiration that later became a driving force for Nurhafizah Abdul Raseed to study hard and achieve excellent results in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) 2023 examinations.

Nurhafizah, 20, the youngest of two siblings, is one of eight students from Kolej Tingkatan Enam Haji Zainul Abidin (KTEHZA) who attained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0.

She shared that her father, Abdul Raseed M. Abdul Karim, 57, supports the family as a taxi driver, while her mother, Hasnah Hashim, 56, works as a cleaner.

"It is my parents who inspired me because they do not come from a highly educated background. My mother only studied up to Form Five and my father up to Form Three.

"Furthermore, they have worked hard to raise me, including earning money for my education, so I was determined to do my best in the exams to change my family's fortunes," she said when interviewed after receiving recognition for her achievement following the STPM results announcement here today.

Speaking of the challenges she had faced while studying, Nurhafizah highlighted that the main constraint was finance but she was grateful for having teachers who consistently supported and offered assistance whenever she was in need.

In order to improve her results, her teacher also advised her to retake exams in the first and second semesters, eventually completing her Form Six studies with a CGPA of 4.0.

Nurhafizah spent between five to eight hours a day revising her studies, and to de-stress, she would play chess as she believes the game enhances critical thinking skills.

Hailing from Sungai Pinang, she aspires to become an educator and is currently awaiting results to pursue studies in Accounting at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).

"Many say accounting is difficult, that's why I want to pursue this field because I want to become a teacher and teach students until they understand," she said.

Another outstanding student from KTEHZA who achieved a CGPA of 4.0, Amsyar Muawiyah Mohd Sofi, 20, expressed surprise at achieving such results after only scoring 3.8 in the third semester.

"Besides my teachers, I am grateful to my mother, Marziah Ismail, who has worked tirelessly earning RM1,500 as a court cleaner to raise me and my 18-year-old sibling.

"My mother always reminded us that we are the hope of the family and urged us to study hard after my father's sudden death due to heart problems when I was 16 years old, so today's success is specially dedicated to her," she said, who dreams of becoming a teacher.

Earlier, State Education Department deputy director (learning sector) Roland @ Rozaidi Abu Hassan announced the STPM results for Penang, noting that a total of 70 candidates in the state achieved CGPA of 4.0, with 26 candidates from Northeast District; Southwest District (4); North Seberang Perai (13); Central Seberang Perai (16) and 11 from South Seberang Perai.

He added that 1,743 candidates from the Malaysian Ministry of Education schools sat for the STPM 2023 examinations, excluding private candidates, and out of this number, 1,727 candidates qualified for the certificate.

— BERNAMA