KRG cancels exams for thousands of school students amid COVID-19 pandemic

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -  The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Education has cancelled exams for thousands of students amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

Education Minister Alan Hama Saeed announced in a televised speech on Saturday night that the COVID-19 pandemic  has forced them to cancel the upcoming examinations as pupils missed out on a significant chunk of the curriculum.

However, the latest decree does not apply to students in their final year of high school, who will still have to take exams as scheduled from June 1. 

Schools were closed on February 26 under measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the Education Ministry's decisions,  primary school pupils in grades one to three will automatically progress to the next grade.

Students in grades four to nine, as well as high-school's grade 10 to 11 will have their second semester examinations cancelled and grades from the first semester to count for the entire year. 

Students up to grade 11 in vocational and Islamic schools will also not be required to take exams, according to the decree.

"If a student has failed in any number of subjects [during the first semester], they will have the right to resit examinations in September and October,"  it added.

The decision does not include final-year high school students, however.

"From June 1, only grade 12 high school students , across all departments including humanities, science, vocational and Islamic studies will go ahead with their examinations," the decree added.

As for private schools, those with an international curriculum can follow their own regulations, but those pursuing the Region's curriculum must abide by the Education Ministry's regulations.   

According to data from the Education Ministry, some 1.7 million pupils were registered for the 2019-2020 school year throughout the Kurdistan Region.