Why This 55-Year-Old Tuition Teacher Plans To Sit For SPM Again Despite Scoring 12 A's
The classroom and exam hall remain his battleground.
Cover image via At 55, most people would be planning their retirement.
But for tuition teacher Subash Abdullah, the classroom and exam hall remain his battleground.
Even after scoring 12 straight A's in this year's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Subash has no plans to stop. Instead, he is gearing up to sit for the exam again this year, and his reason goes far beyond personal achievement.
Subash, from Cheras Perdana, has sat for SPM for several years, including a resit in July last year. He first took the exam back in 1987. This year, he scored 12 A's, he scored 12 As, including in Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Islamic Studies, according to the New Straits Times.
A former film director who now runs a tuition centre, Subash said his goal is not to chase grades or show off, but to motivate his students
He focuses especially on those struggling with science subjects, and aims to help them better understand the exam structure.
"The reason I sat for the SPM exam was to understand the marking scheme, and the best way to do that is by becoming a candidate myself," the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.
"Moreover, as a tuition teacher […] I need to teach my students the correct answering techniques so they can better grasp the exam experience," he said, adding that taking the exam alongside his students allowed him to inspire them more effectively.
"I tell my students, we'll sit for it together. I'll register as a private candidate like you. I'll guide you through. I want to be someone who not only teaches but walks the journey with them," Malay Mail quoted him as saying.
Subash (third from left) celebrating with his students after receiving their 2024 SPM results.
Image via Malay Mail via Subash Abdullah
Subash, who has taken the exam annually for the past five years, said he's concerned and wants to understand the reason for the declining interest in fields like science, medicine, and engineering
"I wanted to see for myself — is the syllabus too hard? Is the teaching not effective? Why are 8,000 students choosing not to sit for SPM at all?
"It feels like we're losing a generation of scientists, doctors, engineers," he was quoted as saying.
Growing up in Batang Berjuntai (now Bestari Jaya) as the youngest of seven siblings, Subash experienced hardship early on, selling cucur udang, popiah, and orchid flowers door to door to support his family. Being the only ethnic Indian student in a Chinese school, he even faced bullying.
"Because I could speak Chinese, I did well with selling the kuih and my mother saw something in me. She said I should be a teacher. I didn't like the idea back then, I wanted to be a doctor and save lives. Today, I see why she believed in that dream," he said.
He noted that his practical experience sitting for the SPM had taught him important strategies, such as the advantages of using a pencil over a pen to avoid messy corrections, which could affect scoring.
"A simple example is most students are told to use a pen, but they are not allowed a liquid corrector. Their work becomes messy and they are limited in space, which can affect the marks. So I've tested this out and used a pencil so I can correct things easily. You save space on working on the answers too. I got an A+ with my pencil," he said.
Image via New Straits Times via Subash Abdullah
He believes that science should not be treated as an "elite" stream reserved only for the academically gifted
"It's not about being smart. It's also about strategy, motivation, and finding the right method. Students need encouragement, not fear of failure. And teachers should be giving them better tools to help them achieve the best," he said.
Subash, who plans to sit for the SPM again with 12 subjects, hopes his efforts will inspire not just his students but also the wider public.
"I encourage anyone with the desire to sit for the SPM to go for it. There is no age limit for SPM, but not many people know this, and it's disheartening to learn that over 8,000 candidates were absent for the written exam.
For Subash, education remains a lifeline, a message he wants today's youth to embrace.
"Education fed me when I had nothing. After my mother passed away, it was the only thing that kept me going. And now, I want these kids to see that it's still their best chance, not just to survive, but to succeed," he said.
When asked by Malay Mail why he continues sitting for the exam, Subash said, "Sometimes, I get to change someone's direction in life, and I am so grateful to my mother for seeing this in me."
Subash (second from right) with some of his students at his tuition centre.
Image via Malay Mail via Subash Abdullah
