At 61, while most people are slowing down after retirement, one Malaysian man chose to challenge himself by sitting for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
Hamidan Yahaya, a retired government servant, sat for SPM in 2025 as a private candidate and walked away with a B in Mathematics and a C+ in Science.
The former civilian driver at Kem 504 Askar Wataniah in Chuping had spent over 27 years in service before retiring in December 2025.
For Hamidan, the results meant more than just grades. It was a chance to finally make up for a missed opportunity from his younger days, when financial struggles forced him to put his education on hold.
Took exam despite floods and leg injury
What makes his achievement even more remarkable is what he had to go through just days before the exam.
According to Harian Metro, Hamidan was involved in a motorcycle accident while checking on flood conditions in Kampung Jawi on Dec 1, just three days before SPM began.
I didn’t notice a pothole and was thrown off my motorcycle,” he recalled.
At the same time, floods in Kuala Perlis disrupted access to his original exam centre at SMK Tengku Fauziah, forcing him to sit for the exam at SMK Syed Sirajuddin instead.
Despite the pain from his injury and the unexpected changes, Hamidan still showed up and completed all his papers.
“I thought I would get a lower grade because I was enduring pain while answering the questions. I did not expect to score a B for Mathematics,” he said.
Self-studied
Unlike most candidates, Hamidan did not attend tuition classes or seek help from teachers or family members. Instead, he relied entirely on self-study.
He bought reference books and exercise materials, slowly relearning subjects like Mathematics step by step.
His confidence to start again came from a small but meaningful moment. He once saw a group of students struggling with a Mathematics question and decided to help. When he successfully solved it, it sparked something in him.
Even though the syllabus had changed over the years, he decided to give studying another shot.
4th attempt
Over the past few years, Hamidan has been consistently retaking SPM to improve himself. He scored an A in Mathematics in 2022, followed by a B+ in Science in 2023, before seeing a slight drop in 2024.
Even with this latest achievement, Hamidan has no plans to stop learning. He is already planning to sit for SPM again in 2026, where he intends to take Mathematics, Science, and Geography.
After receiving his results, Hamidan also took the time to reflect on how different things are today.
He pointed out that many young people now have supportive families and better access to education, something he never had growing up.
And through his journey, he hopes to not only better himself but also set an example for his children and grandchildren.
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