Hiatus (hahy-ey-tuhs)

PMR’s result was announced last Thursday. This time, the air was filled with great jubilance and excitement as it was the best achievement so far after four years. PMR although is just another exam but the magnitude of it has never failed to make students to work hard for it. It is an assessment of three years of learning and therefore it reflects the students’ performance in every subject.

The stories of students who get good results often featured in our local dailies. It is normal for them to report such news as our people love to hear stories which bring out the source of inspiration and happiness ( I know I should not assume ).

But sometimes, we must also have the responsibilities to share stories which fail to get into the list. In this context, I would love to share a story regarding one boy who is very hardworking and knows what he wants, but there is a twist here. Despite all the hard work, he failed to get a good result.

I tutored this boy during my long break after SPM. He always asked questions and ways how to improve himself. But, his preparation for PMR started a bit late. But I understand why it happened. I suppose he did not have a good support system to guide him how to study effectively. I too can’t help that much as most of my advices were given through telephone conversations and some SMSes.

In fact, a few days before the exam started, he kept calling me complaining that he was so nervous and did not have the confidence to face the exam.

At the end, he did not get the result that he wanted. Luckily, he did not fail any subject. Observing from this side, I am pretty sure that he actually achieved something. He may not get a good result but the efforts and determination to pursue his own dream should be lauded.

And in fighting a battle, we cannot win all. But at least, we know that we lose in the knowledge that we have done our best. What matters most is the perseverance during that journey.

I assure you that this boy will come back again with full confidence and courage to achieve his dream. His mistake was that he started late, but given so much time ahead, I believe he will achieve something that we all can be proud of in the future.