Regardless of the upheaval of the Egyptian revolution, teenagers still have to confront milestone exams, Reem Leila reports The thanaweya amma (secondary school certificate) race began 9 June with parent and student worries about the difficulty of the exam bolstered by security concerns. The agonising tests will come to an end during the first week of July. The ordeal of thanaweya amma drove 17-year-old Hanadi Mahmoud Mokhtar from Alexandria to commit suicide on 17 June. She hanged herself after registering a weak performance in the exams. The girl's father said she was suffering from depression. Hundreds of students faint while sitting the exams, while others wail and weep. In an attempt to comfort parents as well as the 700,000 students who are sitting for the exams, Minister of Education Ahmed Gamaleddin Moussa declared to the press before the start of the exams that, "the ministry is intensifying its security measures to be certain that neither are exams leaked nor places of examination attacked by thugs. There is full coordination between the ministry, the police and the Armed Forces. Exam papers will be transferred using military planes and cars. The location of publishing houses where exams are being printed is top secret." Examination halls are being guarded by the police, army and citizens who have formed public committees to protect the students. "There are 137,000 people monitoring all of Egypt's places of examination this year," said Moussa. Ministry of Education officials deny that the 25 January Revolution has made this year's exams more difficult. Gamal El-Arabi, head of the thanaweya amma exams department, pointed out that as usual 85 per cent of the questions are for students of a medium level, whereas the remaining 15 per cent are for distinguished students. "Until now, most of the exams were easy; for example, physics, Arabic and French," said El-Arabi. Many students who took the Arabic exam complained that the questions were very long and some grammar and rhetoric questions were ambiguous. English and French exams -- especially the translation questions, as well as a comprehension text which was about the 25 January Revolution -- were deemed difficult. The English exam contained questions on annulled sections of the general textbook. Thanaweya amma students' grief in these subjects contrasts with their elation following the recent physics exam, which was widely considered to be easy. Ahmed Hossam, a 17-year-old student who expected the exams to be easier, stated: "All thanaweya amma students expected easy exams, especially after the revolution. We all thought that the era of difficult exams had come to an end with the old regime. Unfortunately, nothing has changed; exams are difficult as usual." Menna El-Sayed, another thanaweya amma student, agrees with Hossam: "Our teachers gave us the impression that this year's exams will be a piece of cake. Lots of time has been wasted during the revolution. There were no private lessons during the curfew. Accordingly, these circumstances should have been taken into account. Unfortunately, nothing has changed." On the other hand, Heba Abdallah, a 16-year-old student, disagrees with both assessments. "Although some of this year's exams were indirect and vague, they were generally easier than those of previous years. I consider myself, along with other thanaweya amma students, lucky," argued Abdallah. Despite the minister's confirmation on the security measure taken to prevent exam questions from being leaked, English exams were leaked in Sharqiya governorate. Two teachers and several parents were caught passing answers to students via SMSes in Zagazig city. The teachers are being investigated by the prosecution-general. El-Arabi, who refused to provide details on the incident, stated: "Those teachers managed to steal the question papers as they were participating in preparing for the exams. After the prosecution-general investigation ends, both teachers will be subject to internal investigations. They might be dismissed from their jobs," stated El-Arabi. For long decades now, students are required to score over 95 per cent or more to join a decent university. According to Reda Abu Serie, deputy at the Ministry of Education, a committee will be formed to redistribute grades if any questions were asked that were not part of the curricula. An average student would be able to answer 75 per cent of the questions, an above average student 90 per cent, and a distinguished student 100 per cent. "This means that the above average students will do more than rewriting what they memorised, possibly showing that they have grasped and properly understood what they have been studying the whole year, with analytical answers," said Abu Serie. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, according to Abu Serie, initiated a new online communication service for better contact with thanaweya amma students, creating Facebook and Twitter accounts. "Students and teachers will be able to discuss issues related to the thanaweya amma certificate. Each student will create his own e-mail on the website 'Thanaweya Forum', where their grades and schedules will be sent. Through the e-mail, the ministry can communicate directly with every student and teacher," said Abu Serie.
