Surge in dropouts due to peer pressure - N. STRAITS TIMES 28 - 05 - 2024

Aug 13, 2026

Peer pressure and a push toward a luxurious lifestyle at a young age, combined with limited awareness of the value of education, are driving many students to drop out of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. Former Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom links the trend to both student psychology and family hardship, including illness or separation, which pushes some to work for income. Additional pressure from peer groups and low motivation highlight the need for stronger monitoring and counselling, while SPM results continue to show resilience after Covid-19.

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Key drivers behind rising SPM dropouts

Peer pressure and luxury lifestyle influence

Economic hardship and family issues

Lack of awareness of SPM importance

Monitoring and counselling interventions

KUALA LUMPUR:Peer pressure tolead a luxurious lifestyle at ayoung age and a lack of aware-ness about the importance of ed-ucation are key factors causingmany students to opt out of theSijil Pelajaran Malaysia(SPM)ex-amination. Former Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin MohdDom said this worryingtrend waslinked not only to students'psy-chology,but also to personal is-sues,including family problems. Alimuddin said the economichardship students faced influ-enced their decision to skip SPM,and instead focus on earning anincome. “Yes,we cannot deny that eco-nomic hardship plays a role.Some students may not havetheir parents around or their par-ents may be ill.Some may faceissues that impact their familyincome,forcing them to work toearn money. “However,peer group influ-ence also plays a part,withteenagers today feeling pres-sured to ownluxury items such asphones,motorcycles,laptops,and branded clothing. "Sometimes parents cannot af-ford these items,so the students # N.STRAITS TIMES Surge in dropouts due to peer pressureNST 28is|2024 4 feel compelled to work and earnmoney themselves.This situa-tion causes them to lose interestin the exam,"he told the NewStraits Times. What was particularly worry-ing,he added,was the need formore awareness among studentsabout the significance ofthe SPMcertificate,which is often viewedas just a piece of paper instead ofa crucial stepping stone for theirfuture. “They lack awareness ofthe im-portance of SPM.Students mustunderstand that SPM is a criticalpart of our education system anda passport to their future. “Achieving(an)SPM(certifi-cate)should instil a sense of con-fidence and pride.It signifies thatthey have successfully completed11 years of education.This senseof accomplishment is lacking instudents.” Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia Centre of Educationand Diversity senior lecturer DrAnuar Ahmad said many stu-dents preferred to work at ayoung age to earn pocket money. "These students often miss ex-ams because they have foundjobs,which provide either wagesor allowances.This gives them SINAR HARIAN□ the chance to earn pocket moneyor a salary.Once they start earn-ing money,they begin to con-template discontinuing their ed-ucation." However,Anuar said,this issuecould not be ignored and thatefforts must be made to addressit. "Certainly,a small percentagestill lacks the motivation andconfidence to sit the SPM exam-ination.The thought of 'even if Itake SPM,I will surely fail'isstrong in their minds. "Every school must have a sys-tem to monitor students at risk ofacademic failure.Class teachersand counselling teachers mustobserve the progress of these at- On the SPM 2023 results,whichare the best since 2013,Anuarsaid the national education sys-tem has disproved claims by in-ternational studies that theCovid-19 pandemic negativelyimpacted children's education. “The students who receivedtheir SPM results today experi-enced the entire Covid-19 andpost-Covid-19 period. "Interestingly,this group hasachieved the best National Av-erage Grade for SPM since 2013.”

FAQs

What are the main reasons students are skipping the SPM examination?

Peer pressure toward a luxurious lifestyle and low awareness of the importance of education are key drivers. Economic hardship and family problems also push some students to work instead of studying.

How does economic hardship affect students’ decisions about SPM?

Some students face difficult family circumstances and feel compelled to earn income. Once they start working for wages or allowances, they may lose interest in completing their education.

What measures are suggested to help students at risk of academic failure?

Schools should implement systems to monitor at-risk students. Class teachers and counselling teachers must track progress and support students to build motivation and confidence to sit for SPM.

Aug 13, 2026

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