Demand for sweets surges as Tawjihi results announced

AMMAN – The announcement of General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) results without prior warning caused confusion in the sweets market on Sunday, according to the president of the Jordan Association for Restaurant and Sweets Shops Owners.

Sector leader Raed Hamada said the demand for sweets, knafeh in particular, surged significantly following the announcement of the Tawjihi results. 

“So far I don’t have exact sales figures but I can assure you that most sweets stores received countless customers,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

He noted that Jordanians are expected to purchase around 250,000 kilogrammes of knafeh a day during this week.

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, Hamada said over JD1.2 million worth of sweets are expected to be sold in the few hours following the announcement of this year’s Tawjihi summer session results. 

“People are also expected to spend around JD5 million during this period,” he added.  

“The first thing people do once they find out that their children have passed the exam is serve sweets to their family members and guests.” 

Hamada said shopkeepers gave customers late appointments so that they can cope with the overwhelming demand.

“Knafeh is the favourite dish to celebrate such occasions,” he added. 

Around 127,000 students sat for Tawjihi examinations this summer.

The Education Ministry had not given an exact date for announcing the results, but said it would release them after the Eid Al Fitr holiday.

The announcement of the results on Sunday took many by surprise, according to Hamada, who said that parents were also affected.

“Some parents left work the minute they learned the results were announced,” he added. 

Maher Abu Dai, an employee at a restaurant in west Amman, said he expected the demand for sweets to increase after midday. 

“After the end of the Eid Al Fitr holiday, Sunday is the first working day for most people, so they would come to buy sweet after  their working hours,” he added.