Setback
For a top scholar
Malaysia’s 17-A wonder shockingly failed her second year medical course at Edinburgh, reports blog.
July 26, 2009

Malaysia’s 19-year-old Nur Amalina made history by scoring 17 1-A’s in the O-Level exam, the highest number on record at the time – in 2004.

She became the pride of the nation, her laudable achievement toasted in the newspapers and on websites.

Her academic abilities in Malaysia were no fluke when she passed her A-Level at Cheltenham Ladies College, UK, where she took five subjects and scoring distinctions in all of them.

Nur – now 25 – received a Bank Negara scholarship to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh is reported to have hit a setback, reported blogger Fudzail.

“I was really shocked and speechless to be informed about Nur Amalina Che Bakri, he said. “I was informed that she had failed in her second year medical study.”

“I really hope this is not true (and) if it is, what went wrong?”

In an interview before she left, Nur said that she wanted to study
medicine so she can be a gynaecologist to help women with cancer.

"It is my passion," she said. "I've read that so many women have cancer and since I am a woman, I feel that I have the responsibility to help them.

"Most gynaecologists in Malaysia are men, and that's why I want to be a gynaecologist."

There has been no confirmation or details of this or whether she is still studying there. One online source vaguely refers “culture shock” as a cause.

One surfer, Rahman Hariri said that failing a year is not the end of the world.

“...Failing 2nd year medical is no failure. I have seen many top students 'failed' during the (medical) course at Monash in the 80s, and many of them are now top in their profession in the country.

“C'mon, this is not a local school where one could make 'arrangement' to ensure all would pass.. Let's give her encouragement for her success,” Rahman added.

Other surfers, however, held Malaysia’s system partly to blame.

One said that an “A” grade does not carry much at Malaysia’s secondary leaving exam – known as SPM. Seal added: “I salute her for the A's but the education system in Malaysia is crap.”

Malaysian Jerine declared, “Maybe there's nothing wrong with her, but there's something wrong with our education system.”

Others, like Adialhadi, believes that it takes more than just straight A’s to become a good doctor – like attitude, commitment and dedication.

“For this reason I feel the way the Western education system is many times better than our system. They create more balanced- individuals.

“Hope she learns something from this failure, and others, too,” he said.

On Amalina’s failure, abgbesq wrote: “Amalina, Hadafi, Adi Putra, etc are names of past top exam scorers. Question is: are they scholars or more talented at storing facts to later regurgitate it?”

He said these people point to “our failure of an exam oriented school system.”

Refers:
http://1426.blogspot.com/2009/07/failure-of-nur-amalina-who-scored-17as.html