Do parents pressure their children to do well in examination

12-year-old student feels pressured by her friends, not by her parents, to do well in exams.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Do parents pressure their children to do well in examinations?

For Hoo Sye Min, 12, the pressure to do well in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination comes mainly from her friends.

"My friends who do well pressure me to succeed as well. So, I have put in extra efforts such as attending extra classes in school as well as tuition classes."

Hoo said she did not feel pressured by her parents as they had always told her that the results did not matter as long as she had done her best.

"But I pressure myself as I feel it's important for my future."

Natasha Divya believes she has done well on her first day of the UPSR exam.

"I felt at ease as my mother was there to give me moral support. She told me that she would support me whatever the results were," she said after sitting the Bahasa Melayu comprehension paper yesterday.

For Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidate Lydia Fatiny Zamzuri, it was an easy ride all the way as her parents did not pressure her into studying.

"My parents don't pressure me that much. But I want to do well so that I can continue my studies in a good university and get a good job.

"Everyone keeps telling me that the competition is stiff. That is what I am worried about," she said.

Science student Muhammad Hadhari Hazellah, 17, is not afraid of the SPM examination in two months' time as he is prepared for it.

"All my friends have stopped playing football to focus on studying. I have also stopped some of my leisure activities to study for the exam."

Hashok Nandakumar, 17, has been studying hard as he wants to prove to his parents that he can do well in the SPM examination.

"Now, you are able to tell if you really did well as there are different levels of distinction."

Malaysia
New Straits Times | Wed Sep 22 2010