New leaks of the nationwide thanaweya amma secondary school exams surfaced on Facebook Tuesday morning in spite of a series of arrests in connection to a previous leak on Sunday.“Just like every year, the ministry remains stubborn and has spent millions … for nothing!” the infamous Facebook page ChaoMing posted on Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday night, Ministry of Education spokesperson Basheer Hassan profusely denied that the English exam would be leaked while phoning in to Sa’a Min Masr on Al-Ghad channel.
“We are facing a mafia that aims to strike against the state, its educational institutions, and its political system to destroy the future of an entire generation,” Hassan said.
He added that if the leaks are verified, the ministry would cancel the exam.
However, the page went on to post photographs of the English exam at 9.25am, followed by a series of posts containing the answers to each section of the test that began at 9am.
They had initially promised to share the answers ahead of the scheduled examination time, but then posted it only after the exam was in session in order to be certain of the version the ministry would administer, as they explained.
Students have since been interacting and commenting on the posts, sharing answers to sections the page was yet to post.
A number of students have confirmed to Daily News Egypt that the version of the exam posted by the page this morning was in fact the version that was administered by their schools.
Prime Minister Sherif Ismail paid a visit to the Ministry of Education headquarters almost an hour into the start of the exam to investigate the matter.
This comes in spite of a statement made by the Ministry of Interior on Monday afternoon claiming that they have apprehended the individuals behind the leaks and confiscating a number of laptops, a router, and three cell phone SIM cards.
The statement also said that two students claimed responsibility for running the Facebook page.
Twelve officials from the Ministry of Education were also arrested on Monday in connection with the leaks.
On Sunday, Arabic-language and religious studies exams were leaked before the start of the exams, which resulted in one of the exams being rescheduled.
Members of parliament are holding Minister of Education Al-Helaly Al-Sherbiny directly responsible for the leaks and have called for his resignation and for him to be summoned for questioning.
Spokesperson for the Masr Al-Qaweya (Strong Egypt) party Mamdouh Al-Shayeb has also condemned the leaks and called for the resignation of Al-Sherbiny, saying that the situation has gotten out of control.
Daily News Egypt has reached out to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and the head of the Central Administration for Secondary Education, but they were not available for comment.
After similar incidents last year, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued a decree that stipulated a fine ranging from EGP 20,000–50,000 and prospective jail time for those who leak exam papers.
