Exams of Thanawiya Amma (the General Certificate of Secondary Education) will start today. The horror of swine flu epidemic controlled the atmosphere of examinations. The Ministry of Education took a number of preventive actions in the exam rooms, for fear of the spread of the infection. 429,367 students, including 40,350 in the first stage and 389,017 in the second stage, will do the exam. The ministry has pledged that the seasons of Thanawiya Amma exams will succeed this year.
After every exam, a random sample representing various schools and students will be taken and corrected in Cairo to know the level of the exam and students' performance. The result will be sent to the Minister of Education for approval. If the minister does not approve the result of the sample, grades would be re-distributed on the different questions to act in the interest of students.
The Ministry of Education issued strict instructions to the heads of exam committees; that every committee should have a doctor and not more than 20 students to avoid the spread of any disease or infection.
Reda Abu Serei, general director of Thanawiya Amma examinations, said if a student has a high temperature, he will be examined by the doctor, who will then decide whether he should be hospitalized or not. The patients could do exams in the hospital.
However, education and health experts said the preventive actions are "exaggerated" and students should only avoid overcrowding after every examination. Students should observe personal hygiene.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Minister of Education Youssri Al-Gamal said the examinations met the scientific standards. A number of Governors called for intensifying security presence before the exam committees. Dissatisfaction prevailed among hundreds of observers and monitors assigned to supervise the examinations, because of the poor conditions of guest houses allocated for them.
