By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
KUALA LANGAT, May 3 — The Selangor People's Tuition Programme (PTRS) has become a lifeline, particularly for students from underprivileged families, enabling them to attend extra classes in preparation for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
Student Wan Nur Humaira Wan Mohd Farizal, 18, described the opportunity to be placed in the PTRS class at SMK Bandar Saujana Putra as an invaluable blessing, which led her to achieve excellent results — straight As in all eight subjects which she sat for.
Acknowledging the PTRS learning modules as highly comprehensive, she also shared her success in obtaining an A grade in Mathematics, despite having previously failed the mock exam for the subject.
“I really did not expect it, because my mock exam results were unsatisfactory. So when I saw my SPM results, I cried with joy. PTRS really helped a lot, especially in Mathematics — we learnt many formulas.
“The PTRS modules we received were, in my opinion, the best for Mathematics, Science, and Bahasa Melayu. The essay examples in the PTRS books were outstanding and came from top students.
“These PTRS classes helped me a lot. We were given a laptop, so we could attend classes and do quizzes — all using the laptop provided by PTRS,” Nur Humaira told Media Selangor recently.
She admitted that it was disheartening not to be able to join external tuition classes like her peers due to financial constraints, but it never stopped her from studying hard.
“Of course I wanted to join tuition like my friends, but I did not want to burden my parents. So when I was selected for PTRS, I was determined to make the most of the free opportunity and give it my best. I never missed a class unless there was an emergency.
“In PTRS classes, the difference is that the teachers focus on each specific subject. They emphasise certain topics repeatedly and make us do quizzes. Two months before SPM, the teachers were earnest. I would often sleep first and then wake up again at 2am or 3am to revise,” Nur Humaira said.
[caption id="attachment_399589" align="aligncenter" width="1015"]
(from left to right) Wan Mohd Farizal Wan Yusoff, 43, and Normazni Ghazali, 44, look on as their daughter Wan Nur Humaira Wan Mohd Farizal, 18, looks at module books of the Selangor People's Tuition Programme at the family's residence in Bandar Saujana Putra, Kuala Langat on April 25, 2025. — Picture by SUHAILA SHAHRUL ANNUAR/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
Meanwhile, her mother Normazni Ghazali, 44, said she had felt upset for not being able to fulfil her daughter's wish to attend private tuition, but PTRS had eased that sorrow.
Working part-time as a cashier at a supermarket to help support the family and lighten the burden of her husband Wan Mohd Farizal Wan Yusoff, 43, who works as a clerk, she acknowledged that the programme contributed significantly to her daughter’s academic success.
“She did ask to attend tuition, but I had to be honest — we simply could not afford it. When we looked around, even one subject cost RM50. I told her frankly that we could not manage.
"I just consoled her by saying that success depends on oneself. In the past, people succeeded even without tuition,” Normazni said.
On his part, Farizal said PTRS is definitely necessary and should be continued, particularly to give opportunities to those who cannot afford additional educational support.
“I am really thankful and extremely grateful. I never sent my daughter to any tuition centre because we just could not afford it.
"Even with my wife and me working together, it is not enough to cover all the commitments, especially with four children still in school,” he said.
PTRS is a supplementary class assistance programme for Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, Science, History, and Additional Mathematics, aimed at students from low-income families with average or weak academic performance.
Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari said the programme aims to reach 200,000 Form Four and Five students within five years.
PTRS has been identified as one of the main contributors to the increase in the number of students in Selangor achieving straight A grades in all SPM subjects this year.
He said the intervention programme helped raise the number of top-grade students from 2,005 candidates (3.15 per cent) last year to 2,368 (3.65 per cent) this year.
[caption id="attachment_372266" align="aligncenter" width="1187"]
Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari (second from right) with a tablet featuring the Selangor People’s Tuition Programme (PTRS) app, during the 2024 PTRS launch at Dewan Raja Muda Musa in Section 7, Shah Alam, on August 13, 2024. — Picture by REMY ARIFIN/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
