Minister of Education Tarek Shawky announced on Sunday that the Thanaweyya Amma (secondary school certificate) exams will proceed as scheduled, with social distancing measures enforced to guarantee the safety of students and staff.
Shawky said his ministry is preparing to provide students and supervisors with face masks and sterilisation equipment, to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Only 11 students will be allowed per classroom to ensure social distancing measures, the minister said.
Shawky added that all classrooms hosting Thanaweyya Amma exams will be disinfected daily, with 17,000 thermometer guns used to check the temperatures of all those present. Face masks will also be distributed on a daily basis.
He noted that students who are found to have a fever will be hospitalised, and have their exams postponed, adding that each school will have an ambulance car on site. He added that subjects that are not cumulative in the total mark will be cancelled.
Students will be obliged to arrive at exam venues by 9:00, for the necessary precautions to be undertaken. Shawky confirmed that students can postpone their final exams until next year.
He also said that international school students will be allowed to take their Arabic, Religion, and National Studies exams from home.
About 653,000 students are set to sit for their final Thanaweyya Amma exams this year, supervised by 168,000 invigilators.
