The wing’s chairman, Wong You Fong, said the committee could collaborate with the relevant agencies, research the issue and come up with solutions.

At the same time, she said, the education ministry should establish a dedicated support service network or hotline for students and parents to consult on absenteeism-related issues and provide guidance and assistance.

Wong also suggested that schools assign teachers or counsellors specifically to look into absenteeism among SPM candidates and help resolve related issues, including arranging for the absentees to take the examination.

“As the SPM certificate is important for the future academic or employment prospects of students, parents, the education ministry and schools should take this matter seriously,” she said in a statement.

She also said the country should pay close attention to the issue of absenteeism, noting that some 11,600 students were absent from the 2023 SPM examination, according to the ministry’s data.

She said the number of absentees has remained above 10,000 each year, according to the National Union of the Teaching Profession.

The high number of absentees is why there was a need to create awareness among candidates and parents of the consequences of absenteeism and the importance of resitting exams, Wong said.

“This is to avoid students from regretting (their decision to not sit for the exams) due to ignorance.”

Wong’s call for a committee to tackle absenteeism comes two days after former deputy education minister P Kamalanathan called for parent-teacher associations to work closely with the education ministry to come up with a concrete solution to resolve the matter.