Tulkarm, Jenin (UNA/WAFA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education is preparing to hold the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) in the northern governorates starting next Saturday, under exceptional circumstances imposed by the Israeli occupation, as its aggression against the Palestinian people continues.
While preparations are underway to ensure the successful holding of the exams in the northern governorates, the ongoing Israeli war of extermination against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, XNUMX, has prevented the exams for high school students in the Strip from being held for the second year in a row.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education is working to overcome a host of challenges and obstacles imposed by the occupation in the West Bank, particularly the closure of checkpoints and military gates that cut off cities, towns, and villages, in addition to the ongoing aggression against the northern West Bank governorates, specifically Tulkarm and Jenin, since January 21.
The Ministry continues to coordinate with the General Authority of Civil Affairs, the Military Liaison Office, and all partner agencies to ensure the success of the high school exams. This includes ensuring the movement of teaching staff, logistical supplies, and stationery through the occupation's checkpoints and military gates to the exam halls spread throughout towns and villages.
The Tulkarm Education Directorate affirmed its national and humanitarian responsibility and its full readiness to ensure the smooth and fair running of exams, despite the difficult security and humanitarian challenges, particularly in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps.
The governorate's Director General of Education, Mazen Jarrar, told the WAFA news agency that this year's high school exams are taking place under exceptional and complex circumstances, unlike anything the governorate has ever witnessed before, due to the ongoing demolition operations, incursions, and siege.
He explained that the number of students applying for the exam is 3050, distributed across 34 halls in various branches of the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination. He indicated that the students were distributed so that the halls were as close as possible to their places of residence, taking into account security conditions and ensuring compliance with instructions and the safety of everyone, including supervisors and hall heads.
Jarar pointed out that the directorate has completed all logistical arrangements related to equipping the halls and providing the necessary human resources, including a mechanism for safely and accurately transporting and distributing exam questions. A joint operations room has also been established under the supervision of Governor Abdullah Kamil, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education, the governorate, the police, and the Palestinian military and civil liaison.
He stressed that the possibility of an emergency occurring amid the ongoing aggression remains real, so the directorate has developed an emergency plan that includes precautionary measures, including allocating reserve supervisors and staff, preparing alternative halls, and moving exam centers closer to students' residences.
Jarar noted the existence of direct coordination and cooperation with the Qalqilya Education Directorate in anticipation of the possible closure of the Jabara military checkpoint south of the city, which connects Tulkarm to the villages and towns of Kafriyat. A portion of the halls in the Qalqilya Governorate have been prepared for use if necessary.
Regarding fears of an Israeli escalation on exam day, Jarrar said, "We are dealing with a dangerous reality on the ground, and we are aware that a security emergency could occur at any moment. If a student is unable to reach their hall due to a field incident, road closure, or incursion, we will immediately call the Joint Operations Room and coordinate with the Palestinian Liaison Office to resolve the issue as much as possible."
He added, "We have asked students to arrive half an hour before the exam. However, in the event of an emergency, students can proceed to the nearest possible hall, provided they inform their guardian, who must contact the directorate to formally and orderly direct the student to the alternative hall."
Regarding the situation of students from Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps who were forcibly displaced due to the aggression, Jarar explained that they were integrated into schools in the city and surrounding towns during school hours. The directorate monitored their educational and psychological conditions through educational counselors, teachers, school administrations, and relevant institutions, providing them with the necessary support, facilitating their integration, and ensuring their academic achievement in good psychological conditions, away from the atmosphere of aggression.
He pointed out that more than 700 teachers, supervisors and administrators have been mobilized to travel daily to ensure the smooth running of the exams. Transportation will be provided to ensure they carry out their duties, based on their awareness of the magnitude of the national and moral responsibility placed on their shoulders, amidst the difficult economic situation and the decline in salaries. He noted that the directorate has coordinated with the governor of Tulkarm to treat education vehicles as ambulances and security vehicles, ensuring they are supplied with fuel during the exam period.
In light of the general state of tension and anxiety that students and their families are experiencing, Jarar called on parents to support their children psychologically and morally, to ease their burden, and to take them to their classrooms, to ensure their ability to concentrate and overcome difficult circumstances. He also sent a message to the students that they are up to the task and that everyone is going through difficult and compelling circumstances, and with everyone’s solidarity we will persevere and succeed. He called on them to be steadfast and strong so that Tulkarm can achieve good results, as it has become accustomed to excellence and success.
Jarar stressed that any crisis or emergency that any student might face can be dealt with by contacting the Palestinian Liaison via service number (163), calling on everyone to unite in this sensitive circumstance, so that the exams pass peacefully, and it will be a message of steadfastness in the face of aggression.
In Jenin Governorate, high school students are also experiencing difficult and tense conditions due to the occupation's aggression on the city and its camp, which has now entered its fifth month.
The Jenin Education Directorate confirmed that it had completed preparations for the start of exams on time, in line with the exceptional circumstances the governorate is experiencing.
Jenin Education Director General Tariq Alawneh told WAFA that the number of students taking the high school exams in the governorate has reached 3034, including 43 students from Jenin refugee camp who were forced to leave the camp with their families due to the occupation's aggression.
Alawneh explained that the Jenin Education Directorate decided to accommodate displaced students in halls closest to their temporary displacement in the city or neighboring towns and villages. It also allowed them to sit for exams at the schools they had been attending before the offensive began.
Alawneh confirmed that the directorate has completed preparations for the exam in a manner that is appropriate to the students' situation and the circumstances facing the governorate in general, and the city of Jenin and its camp in particular. He explained that the exam will be held in 30 halls distributed throughout the governorate, and that the ministry and the directorate's priority is to ensure that the exam period runs smoothly and easily, taking into account the students' circumstances and psychological state.
It is noteworthy that 16.607 students have been martyred and 26.271 injured since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on October 2023, XNUMX, according to data issued by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
The ministry explained in a statement that the number of students killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression has reached more than 16.470, and those injured have reached 25.374. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, 137 students were killed, 897 others were injured, and 754 were arrested.
She noted that 914 teachers and administrators were martyred and 4.363 were injured in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and more than 196 were arrested in the West Bank.
She pointed out that 352 public schools were severely damaged as a result of the occupation's aggression, including the complete destruction of 111 schools.
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