KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Sin Chew Daily) – The online marking of SPM examination papers, done for the very first time, has raised concerns among parents that the barcode on the exam paper could lead to exposure of a student's background and particulars.

When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, the education ministry said the new system employed this year will have stricter encryption technology compared to last year, and that parents do not need to worry about information leakage.

A source said although the first page of the exam paper will bear the candidate's name, when the exam paper is uploaded, only a code number will appear and the teacher marking the paper will not know the candidate's identity or any other information.

"The teacher may not even know from which state or school the candidate comes."

A parent who prefers to remain anonymous told Sin Chew Daily the candidate's identity must be kept in confidentiality. However, as the 2020 SPM paper has the candidate's name, the teacher marking the paper will know who he or she is, adding that this would compromise the credibility of the examination, which is one of Malaysia's internationally recognized exams.

"In subjective or essay papers, such factor which could affect the exam results must be minimized. That's why the identity of the candidate and the marking teacher must be kept in strict confidentiality."

Another parent said an exam invigilator had confirmed with him that the barcode on the exam paper indeed bears the student's name, IC number and code.

However, an education ministry source insists that when the paper is uploaded, only code number will appear on the other end, and the marker will not get to see the candidate's particulars,.