A total of 1,229 or 16.08 per cent of the 7,645 Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) students who sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) last year obtained straight As in the examination.

Mara chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa said MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba recorded the best result, from among the 45 MRSM in the country, followed by the MRSM Taiping and MRSM Pengkalan Chepa.

There were improvement in five subjects, namely Bahasa Melayu, with a Subject Average Grade (GPS) of 0.967, History (GPS of 0.971), Physic (GPS of 3.150), Chemistry (3.847) and Visual art education (0.720), he told a media conference here on Thursday.

Annuar said that on the whole, the MRSM students recorded excellent result, not only in their academic achievements, but also the ability to acquire various skills and soft skills.

School leavers with excellent SPM result, as well as possess leadership qualities and with positive values, can apply for Mara sponsorship to pursue their studies at institutions of higher learning in the country or abroad, he added.

They can surf the website www.mara.gov.my or visit the Mara education carnival being held at 10 locations nationwide.

The carnival, which began last Saturday, will end on April 27.