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Malek Helali
Doha
AS many as 10,718 students will sit the second term of the national high school examinations whereas 558 students have been debarred from taking the exams as they exceeded the limit of missed exams in the first term.
Addressing a press conference in Doha on Monday, Director of the Evaluation Committee at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Khaled al Harqan said that preparations for the second term exams have already been completed and the conduct, supervision as well as grading committees have been formed in collaboration with the school administrations.
Harqan said that the supervisors and graders for the exams will be exchanged among schools. He highlighted that the Ministry started a media campaign under the hashtag 'the exams are a path to success' to raise awareness of the preparations needed for the second term exams, adding that the results of the second term exams are expected to be better than the first term.
Harqan advised parents to provide the optimal studying environment for their children preparing for the national exams, and stressed on the importance of the mock tests provided by the Ministry. He also directed students to comply with the exam rules and leave their mobile phones outside the exam committee classrooms in order to avoid any penalties.
Harqan said that the appearing students including 1,522 students from the Adult Education programme will be divided into 31 committees for boys and 26 for girls.
Furthermore, Harqan explained that the national exams are designed by evaluation experts at the Ministry considering students' capacities, standards and difficulty levels. He added that the exam papers are printed in the ministry and kept in sealed envelopes that are delivered to the schools on the morning of each exam.
As for the correction procedures, Harqan said that the exam papers go through many phases ensuring the accuracy and quality of correction. He said that each paper is analysed by up to five or six qualified teachers and then revised by the coordinator of the subject and by the evaluation experts to finally be referred to the ministry's high school examination control that rechecks the grading.
Fahad al Naama, Director of student evaluation, noted that the question bank developed by the ministry is being used by preparatory schools according to certain standards and will be generalised for the remaining primary and secondary schools soon.
Ibrahim al Kuwari, Director of Student Data Department, added that the question papers for the national exams have already been printed and will be sent to the schools in locked boxes containing sealed envelopes. He said that the exams will be delivered safely, accompanied by security authorities, and will only be opened in the presence of an evaluation committee officer from the Ministry under the supervision of the school director.
