CAIRO: The Shoura Council's education and scientific research committee met to discuss the problems of the thanawiya amma (the Egyptian High School certificate) in their first session since the summer parliamentary recess. The meeting discussed grade inflation, the deteriorating standards of the average Egyptian high school student and the different approaches to modernize the educational system. The procedures relating to university admissions were also on the agenda. With large numbers of students getting full marks on their high school exams, those obtaining 97 percent sometimes fail to get a place in their preferred faculty. Minister of Higher Education and State Minister for Scientific Research Hany Helal and Minister of Education Yousry Al Gamal attended the meeting, which was chaired by Farouk Ismail, head of the education and scientific research committee. Al Gamal said that students have been getting higher scores because they have gotten used to the style of the exams. He highlighted the apparent imbalance in the number of students enrolling into humanities departments compared to those pursuing scientific disciplines. Hossam Badrawy, head of the education committee at the ruling National Democratic Party, warned of the potential consequences of the trend towards humanities courses in order to attain higher marks. He demanded the government present their strategy on this issue, which he deemed "dangerous. Badrawy also criticized syndicates that pressure the Higher Education Ministry to decrease the number of the students who can enroll at university. He said that this contradicts the principle of equal opportunity. Badrawy referred to the Doctors Syndicate, in particular, which has been adopting this policy due to recent increases in unemployment among medical doctors. Hany Helal also criticized the thanawiya amma system, especially university admissions, which he said were supply driven. He claimed that high marks were the basis on which students were accepted, with no consideration for market demands. "Getting 99 percent in the thanawiya amma exam means nothing in terms of excellence when compared to an English, Israeli or American student, said Abdel Moneim Said, member of the Shoura Council and director of the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. He recommended that the government give up its traditional role and suggested that each governorate set their own exam. "It is impossible to have a single exam for all students in the country, Said added. This may lead to a better qualification for universities and would match the labor demands of each governorate as well as the economic activities of the area. Shoura Council member and former health minister Mohammad Awad Tag Eddin said that the Egyptian education system was "backward, adding that the problem is strategic. He called for a change in the way students are evaluated in the thanawiya amma exam, specifically lowering the pass mark in placement exams. Thanawiya amma exams were held in June and the results were announced mid-July.
