All Set for National Exams

Record Number of Students to Sit for National Exams  

By Mhirt G/Kirstos

ADDIS ABEBA – A record number of grade 10 and 12 students will sit for two national exams this year, officials said on Friday.

Close to 1.6 million students will take the national exams scheduled for next week, according to the ministry of education.

The ministry said this number has shown a substantial increase when compared to the previous academic year.

This year, the number of grade ten students sitting for exam (1.27) has increased by 54,000 while grade 12 student’s number rose by 37,000. Over 322, 000 grade 12 students will sit for university entrance tests.

Preparations for conducting both exams have been completed.

“By taking lessons from the previous years, the ministry of education has made strong preparation to have a secure pre and during the examination,” said Araya Gebregziabher, head of the National Educational Assessment and Examination Agency.

The ministry has so far spent over 220 million Br to hold the national the two examinations nationwide.

The exam for grade 10 is scheduled to be held from June 10 up to 12, 2019, which will be followed by the university entrance exam for Grade 12 students which will be held from June 13 to 18, 2019.

The ministry has distributed about 14 million examination papers to each regional state via airplane and helicopter. The examinations are prepared in 20 local languages.

“The community too should provide moral support to students preparing for the national exams,” said Tsion Teklu state minister for the Ministry of education.

Its officials have also advised students not to be destructed by any false allegations and told parents and teachers to protect them from misinformation. The national higher education was canceled during the 2016 national entrance examination.

The entrance exam was canceled after the Ministry learned that the exam was disseminated through social media prior to the date for the exams, which are the main public exams for 16- and 18-year-olds to secure places at university and on vocational courses.