Shawki: Thanaweya Amma booklet system stood efficiency test

CAIRO – 12 July 2017: The newly-introduced booklet system of Thanweya Amma (high school education) exams helped curtail the leaking of exams that has plagued the system in recent years, according to Minister of Education Tarek Shawki in a statement at a press conference held at the ministry headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday.

The minister congratulated all students and families for the honorable results of Thanaweya Amma, saying that the smooth process of exams this year is due to many factors, including the ministry’s employees and teachers nationwide, the government and the armed forces. He extended special thanks to the security bodies, which insured the security of the tests and results until the end, and helped in shutting down Facebook pages that attempted to leak the exams, as has been seen in prior years.

Shawki disclosed that females were ahead of males in their exam results this year.

“There were only 1,800 cheating cases this year, that’s something we should be proud of,” Shawki said during the conference.

“Low grades are not an issue, study whatever you want and win it,” Head of the General Education sector and Head of the General Secondary schools examinations Reda Hegazy stated at the press conference, affirming that the disappearance of the 100 percent result is a healthy phenomenon.

Leaking exams has been a commonly widespread phenomenon in Egypt in recent years.

Social media and smart phones have made leaking exams easy, so the government introduced a new high school examination paper called the “Booklet” to put an end to online cheating and exam leaks.

The booklet system is intended to put questions and answers in one sheet and to change the structure of the exam, and ultimately stop the growing problem of exam leaks and cheating, which spread in 2015-2016 academic year through social media.