AMMAN — Students around the country
are avidly preparing for the annual
Tawjihi exams, which begin Thursday.
اضافة اعلان
The exams, which mark the end of
high school for Jordanian students and can be determining factors in college
acceptance, will take place from June 24th to July 15th.
The nation-wide test comes after an
unusual three semesters of online schooling for Jordanian students. But unlike
their classes for the last year, Tawjihi will be conducted in-person, with
certain restrictions intended to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
“I am distancing myself from any
social media platform which may raise my stress levels,” said student Maha
Marashdeh, who will be attending tomorrow’s exam, in an interview with
Jordan
News. “It seems unfair that the ministry chose the exam in lecture halls
instead of online. Nonetheless, I aim to perform well.”
Each year, the high school exam
causes a flurry of anxiety for students. Exam proctors are trained to treat
student anxiety and deal with possible panic attacks. “Students must be given
the needed care and self-reassurance prior to the exam from their teachers,
proctors, and family members in order to assure their mental stability,” said
psychologist Amina Hattab in an interview with
Jordan News.
“Students may be prone to panic
attacks if they are told that the fate of their future depends on this exam,”
said Hattab. “Students have not attended school campuses and have been fully
reliant on online resources to receive their education during the pandemic.
This may result in an increase in stress levels in exam halls.”
“There will be 207,280 students
attending the high school exam this year on the 24th of June, with 838 testing
centers, holding 2,160 examination halls,” said Ahmad Masaafeh, a media
spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MoE), in remarks to
Jordan News.
“Furthermore, the Ministry of
Education is in solidarity with the Ministry of Health in creating a health
protocol which governs all procedures of the examinations starting this
Thursday. This protocol will cover three stages, prior to examination, during
examination, and post examination. Sanitization will be provided, as well as
social distancing banners.”
Students with temperatures
exceeding 37 degrees Celsius will be placed in an isolation room for the span of
an hour to assure that they are capable of attending the exam room with the
rest of their peers. “COVID-19 patients, however, will not be attending and
will be examined on another designated date,” said educational expert Thogan
Obaidat over phone with
Jordan News. While students will not be required to
take a
PCR test to enter the exam, they are encouraged to implement social
distancing and to get tested if they have symptoms before the time of the test.
Necessary supplies, including
writing utensils, water bottles, and tissue paper, will all be provided to the
students to prevent any attempts at cheating.
Additionally, the ministry announced that
instant messaging apps, like WhatsApp, will be banned for the duration of the
exams in the locations where they are held, another controversial decision. “We
are totally against any kind of alteration, modification, and limitation on
internet users’ rights,” Jordan Open-Source Association Executive Director Issa
Mahasneh told
Jordan News. He pointed out that the ban often leaks out and
affects those living in areas next to schools where the exam is held.
“I think that the government should consider
better alternatives rather than just shutting down the internet or specific
services during the exams,” he said. “If we look at any country in the first
world, they are not applying any of these measures during the national exam.”
Even outside of COVID-19, the
exams, and the huge amount of pressure placed on them, have been contentious. Educator and author Husni Ayesh told
Jordan News that he strongly
opposes the idea of determining one’s fate and future through a single examination.
“It is an unjust education system and simply demotivates the student,” he said.
Similarly, Leen Marashdeh, who took
the exam last year, stated, “I was very frustrated with the format of the exam,
having too many marks on one single multiple choice question, which took many
points off my final grade.”
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