The former Klang MP said the education ministry must urgently form a committee to look into the matter thoroughly.

Last week, it was reported that 14,858 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates were absent on their examination day. This constituted 3.8% of the 388,832 candidates who had registered to sit for the examination.

According to the ministry, this number was much higher than the 10,681 absentees during the previous examination in 2021.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry will investigate why the candidates failed to sit for the examination.

She said the study will enable the ministry to introduce intervention measures to ensure better student attendance in future SPM examinations.

Last month, the ministry also reported that almost 50% (180,680 students) of the 2021 SPM graduates were not keen to further their education.

Santiago said it was “unacceptable” to see children leaving school to enter the workforce.

“Every Malaysian student deserves an equal opportunity to pursue higher education regardless of background.

“Then and only then will we close the social inequality gap, develop human capital, and increase national income,” he said in a statement today.

He said education should lead to more employment opportunities and higher-paying jobs, but lamented that youths from lower income families were often denied such opportunities.

“When students from B40 families are denied these opportunities, they are more likely to become trapped in low-wage employment, perpetuating the poverty cycle for future generations,” he said.