The Tawjihi problem

The results of this summer’s General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) continue to stir debate among students and parents alike. 

The National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights (Thabahtoona) has taken issue with the Ministry of Education over the low passing rate, which it deems shocking. 

The ministry said on Sunday that only 40 per cent of students have passed Tawjihi this summer. 

Thabahtoona suggests that this low rate does not even take into account the fact that only 80,747 students out of the 127,827 students who had registered for the exam actually sat for it. 

When factoring in the total number of registered students, according to the advocacy group, the rate drops to 26 per cent. 

While the ministry should be commended for restoring discipline to the national exam after years of endemic cheating and exaggerated high scores, such a low passing rate raises concerns over the quality of education that students receive.

Moreover, the fact that one single year is the sole decider of students’ fate in higher education continues to be a problematic issue.

Much has been said about plans to factor in students’ scores from previous years in addition to their performance in Tawjihi, but no concrete steps have been taken to that end.

Making Tawjihi the single make-or-break opportunity for students is counterproductive, as it tends to lead many of them to focus on memorising rather than understanding what they are studying.

As soon as they are done with the exams, all the information they had crammed will most likely be discarded.

In the same vein, many secondary school teachers end up focusing on teaching students how to answer exam questions rather than ensuring they actually understand the material they are studying.

Long-term and short-term measures are required to overhaul the educational system, with less focus on spoon-feeding and more focus on the practical application of what students are learning and how it can benefit them in the future.

This issue cannot be left unaddressed, for a better education means a better future for the country.