SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Close to a quarter of a million high school and middle school students started their final exams across the Kurdistan Region on Sunday amid strict measures to prevent cheating and leaking of exam questions.
“The exams are taking place across the Kurdistan Region all at the same time with all the necessities provided for the process to succeed,” said Pishtiwan Sadiq, the KRG Education Minister, in a press conference.
The minister said that 25,000 teachers and monitors are overseeing the process.
According to Sadiq the exam period will last two weeks during which mobile internet services will be down from 7 A.M. to 10 A.M. every day to make sure no cheating takes place in the exam halls.
An estimated 234,000 students from 9th and 12th grades are sitting in the final examinations in the Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdish education minister revealed his ministry has facilitated the exam process for some of the disputed areas such as Khanaqin, Shingal and Makhmour.
“We assure our students that there is going to be no chance for any exam questions to be leaked and that suspending the internet services is to secure the process,” he said.
Monitoring CCTV cameras have been installed in most exam halls in Sulaimani for the same purpose.
“We’ve changed all the mechanisms by which we deliver questions, and we’ve have installed monitoring cameras in most halls in order to control the halls, which we have.” Dilshad Omar, head of the Sulaimani education department told Rudaw.
“We have an agreement with internet companies to halt internet services while examinations are in progress,” he added.
Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir wished the students success and applauded all teachers for their continued dedication despite the region’s financial strain.
“I hope our students achieve great success this year too, despite all these crises, just like last year when Sulaimani came first in scoring the highest marks,” he said. “Most students who came first were in our province. I hope they help Sulaimani maintain its top position this year too.”
