IN KUALA LUMPUR

ASIDE from the daily political drama, there was a slight reprieve today, with some of the focus spotlighted on the top scorers of the Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM), or the equivalent of a 'O' Levels examinations.

This year, as ever, there continued to be stars who scored more As than one could shake a stick at.

Nik Nur Madihah Nik Mohd Kamal from the northeastern state of Kelantan is this year's top scorer with 20 As.

The 18-year-old student, whose father is a fisherman and her mother is a cleaner, obtained 19 1As and one 2A.

She credits her success partly to her not missing any tuition classes and group studies organised by her school as she could not afford to take private tuition.

Besides her, there were many other high scorers, including Akira Wong Neng Chun who scored 16 As.

And she is not the first. Previous years have seen many such "stars", including last year's Azali Azlan, who scored 20 1As and one 2A.

But while many look to their success for inspiration, opinions remain divided over how successful they really are, and if the craze over scoring a string of As should be encouraged.

Critics say the scramble for As is unhealthy, and they point out that academic qualifications alone do not quarantee success and that there is more to being a genius than a string of As.

Some think that the government should limit the number of subjects that students can register for, to make more time for extra-curricular activities and to develop soft skills like teamwork.

But others, including parents, believe that the environment has become so competitive that they have no choice but to encourage the children to cram in as many qualifications as they can, in order to have the upper hand, when it comes to applying for scholarships, university places and later on, jobs.

I expect impressive qualifications such as 20 1As would certainly open more doors for you than if you'd only scored a string of mediocre Bs or Cs. Hence the dilemma facing parents and students today, over whether they should jump on the bandwagon at the risk of sacrificing their childhood and youth.