Grade 12 students take exams in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, June 9, 2021. Kuwaiti students of Grade 12 began on Wednesday their paper exams with full health compliance and strict precautions across the country. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)
KUWAIT CITY, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Kuwaiti students of Grade 12 began on Wednesday their paper exams with full health compliance and strict precautions across the country.
In a press statement, Kuwaiti Ministry of Education said the total number of public and private school students who took the exams is 50,743.
Meanwhile, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has sent volunteers to schools to help implement preventive health measures against COVID-19, where they distribute masks and sterilizers to the students and teachers entering schools.
Salem Faisal, a student in the scientific section, told Xinhua that the maths exam today was easier than he imagined.
"I think because we took our classes online, they were easy on us where we had written and multiple-choice questions," he said.
Faisal praised the health measures taken inside the school where students were required to follow all health requirements such as social distancing, wearing a mask, sterilizing hands, and measuring body temperature before entering the test room.
Another student Noor Al-Mulla agreed with Faisal, saying teachers kept obligating students to wear masks during the exam.
"The social distancing was big between each desk. The exam was easy even though I didn't study hard enough," she told Xinhua.
However, for students in the literary section, the French exam was hard for many of them.
"The French language is a new topic for most of us. We learned a bit before the pandemic and practised it only online. It is not fair to force us to take paper exams," Eman Al-Hasan, a student, explained to Xinhua.
Ali Al-Omar, one of the students who had a hard time answering the French exam, said the French language exam is beyond the level a student depending on e-learning is able to reach.
For Al-Omar's father, Amjad Al-Omar, the main concerns were about health procedures.
"I'm concerned if a student was infected but has no symptoms, he would be able to infect more than 600 others, and then these students infect their parents," he said.
Ahmad Al-Zufairi, father of another student, noted that a paper exam will determine the student's ability to learn, whether in class or behind screens.
"Some students did not put any effort into online classes. They were sleeping all year long," he told Xinhua.
Om Fahad, mother of a third student, complained that her son has asthma and he had a hard time answering the questions while wearing the mask.
Kuwait has finished free PCR tests for unvaccinated students of Grade 12 to ensure their safety during the school exams.
Students taking the school exams need to present the vaccination certificate issued by the health ministry or a negative result of the PCR test.
According to the Ministry of Education, the exams will be held in schools with a commitment to achieving the utmost health precautions before, during, and after the exams. Enditem
