Parents of students in Sudan protest against ministry’s decision to cancel accreditation

AMMAN – A day after Sudanese authorities released Jordanian students who were detained in a case related to the leak of secondary exam papers in Sudan, parents pledged to continue protesting until their demands are met. 

A total of 21 Jordanians were released on Tuesday after "intensive" efforts by the Foreign Ministry to ensure their jail release.

More than 700 Jordanians have flown to the Arab African country to complete the general secondary school exam, believing that the exams are easier abroad. 

In March, Sudanese authorities detained a number of Jordanian students over claims that the national exam test papers were leaked and obtained by some of these students.

The incident prompted the Education Ministry to announce that secondary school certificates from Sudan will not be accredited in Jordan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Mohammad Thneibat clarified on Tuesday during a Lower House's oversight session that the ministry's decision not to accredit secondary school certificates from Sudan this year was due to the leak issue. 

He added that the decision does not entail by any means offending the Sudanese educational system, describing the system as "strong". 

However, parents of children studying in Sudan on Wednesday decided to continue their protests, saying that the decision is "unfair" and "does not take students' interests into account". 

"We decided to send our children to continue secondary school abroad due to the Education Ministry's policies that make the Tawjihi a rather impossible stage to pass for our children. We asked the ministry before sending our children to Sudan and it was made clear that there are no restrictions whatsoever," Ashraf Adaileh, spokesperson of the parents of Jordanian students in Sudan, told The Jordan Times. 

He added that the families have spent more than JD10,000 to cover their children's living expenses in Sudan, saying that the released students will remain in the African country. 

"My son is currently in Sudan and will apply to the secondary national exam next year…we insist that our students continue their education in Sudan, which has proven to have a strong educational system," Adaileh noted.

He said that the parents of students in Sudan will continue holding protests "until the education minister revisits his decision not to accredit certificates issued in Sudan or resign". 

"The incident was foul play and some of the students got involved… we like to assure the government that our children have a high sense of belonging and responsibility and the action of few does not represent the majority," he said.