Tawjihi students, teachers say initial exam schedule ‘too tight’

AMMAN — Tawjihi students and teachers on Monday complained about the General Secondary Certificate Examination’s initial schedule recently proposed by the Ministry of Education. 

Education Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad said in a statement published on the ministry’s website that the summer session exams will start on June 3 and conclude on June 16.

Jallad added that the ministry will provide families and their children with a two-week period to submit their remarks and suggestions over the schedule. 

Hussein Obeidat, a mathematics teacher, told The Jordan Times the schedule is tight and that scientific courses need a lot of time to be revised. 

“The tight programme will have a negative impact on students’ academic achievements,” he said over the phone. 

Students’ Tawjihi scores decide in which university they can study and what majors they can choose.

Muath Tubasi, a Tawjihi student, said students have three “difficult exams” without breaks in between under the proposed schedule.  

“The ministry said it decided on this programme so that we can avoid having exams during Ramadan. They don’t have to do this. It’s better if they schedule two exams during Ramadan so that we can have breaks,” he added. 

Bahaa Yasouri, a student in the industrial stream, said the ministry can schedule “an easy exam” between these difficult ones. 

“We are supposed to sit for the Islamic studies, mathematics and industrial science exams without having breaks. They can replace the mathematics with an easier course such as computer science and then things will be OK,” he suggested. 

Jordan Teachers Association Spokesperson Ayman Okour stressed the importance of giving students enough breaks so that they can concentrate well. 

“We received a lot of complaints from families and our role is to submit these remarks to the ministry, which will take the right decision.” 

Okour said students can sit for exams during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset.

Many students have done so in the past, he added.

Ramadan, which is expected to start either on June 19 or 20, starts the day after the sighting of the crescent moon.

Jallad was not available for comments despite several attempts by The Jordan Times to reach him.