A 54-year-old Malaysian dad made headlines this week for his unique approach in giving encouragement to his child. The man, known as Zulkifli Md. Pungot, was reported to have willing to retake the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2021 exams for Mathematics and English subjects!
Zulkifli, who is also a Math teacher at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dato ‘Abdul Rahman Andak (SDARA) was recently spotted sitting for the examination with his son, Afif Ajmal Zulkifli, at SMK Simpang Renggam in Johor, Harian Metro reported.
Speaking to the publication, Zulkifli revealed that this wasn’t the first time he had retaken the exams. Apparently, he had been retaking the SPM Mathematics exams as many as 22 times since 2011. Additionally, it was revealed that Zulkifli has also been a candidate for SPM 2016 alongside his eldest daughter, Puteri Nur Nabilah, who is now 23 years old.
“This year, I did it again. But this time, I also sat for the English subject for the first time. I challenged myself to sit for the papers because I wanted to test my (language) proficiency, considering that I only retook Math exam papers previously. This is my way of encouraging my kids so that they feel like they’re competing with someone else. They will feel more motivated and determined to do their best to attain excellent results,” Zulkifli said.
Sharing his preparation prior to sitting for the exams, the teacher said that he held additional tuition classes for his children and also their friends. According to him, “This is to help them prepare themselves ahead of the big test. At the same time, I can also make some revisions for myself.” As for the English subject, Zulkifli said that he watches YouTube videos to sharpen his basic language skills.
That being said, Zulkifli also said that the journey wasn’t an easy one for both him and his teenage son. “My son and I were supposed to sit for the English Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams on 3rd March. However, I tested positive for Covid-19 on February 26. While my son and wife were initially identified as close contacts, before it was confirmed that they had contracted the virus on 1st March.”
“I consider the unfortunate event that happened to our family as a test from God. I’m thankful that I have fully recovered, and had the opportunity to sit for the second session yesterday,” Zulkifli was quoted as saying.
Source: Harian Metro.
