Abu Dhabi: A total of 110,403 students of public and private schools from grades 4 to 12 will start their 10-day mid-term exams in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Grades 10, 11 and 12 started their English exams yesterday, and 7,844 grade 12 pupils took an English exam set by the Ministry of Education (MoE).
A separate English exam was designed by the Abu Dhabi Education Zone (Adez) for grades 10 and 11.
To reduce the level of cheating and also due to a lack of space in certain schools across the emirate, students from private schools appeared for their mid-term exams in public schools.
During a visit to one of the public schools with Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, Director, Adez, Gulf News learnt that a total of 194 students from five private schools had appeared for their English exam papers in the Al Mawaheb Model School, a public school here.
"We have 112 science students and 82 literature students from grade 12 taking their first day mid-term exams in a public school to avoid cheating and due to the fact that they don't have spacious examination halls in their own schools.
"That's why the Abu Dhabi Education Council [Adec] is in the process of rebuilding more spacious schools across the emirate," Al Daheri told Gulf News.
Choice
Amal Al Afifi, principal of Al Mawaheb Model School, explained that for topics such as science and mathematics, each school has the choice to select their language of preference. Exam questions can either be submitted to students in English or Arabic.
"During an exam, only one examination page is placed on a pupil's desk. Once the pupil fills out the first page, they are given the second page. The whole idea is to encourage them to be organised and focused," Afifi said.
Exams are expected to end on January 26 and final mid-term results for public and private schools across the emirate will be revealed by January 28, Daheri said.
Statistics
- Grade 12 science pupils in private and public schools in Abu Dhabi — 2,555
- Grade 12 literature pupils in private and public schools in Abu Dhabi — 5,289 literature
- Grade 12 science and literature pupils in private and public schools in Abu Dhabi — 7,844
- Grades 6 to 9 pupils in private and public schools in Abu Dhabi — 52,912
- Grades 6 to 9 pupils in private and public schools in Al Ain — 41,501
- Grades 4 to 12 pupils in private and public schools across Abu Dhabi — 110,403
Exhibition
Six Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) senior staff members and Abu Dhabi Education Zone (Adez) Director, Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, left for the UK on Tuesday to attend the British Education and Training Technology (Bett) exhibition from January 13 to 16.
Bett, in its 26th year, is an educational technology event, which consists of educational suppliers exhibiting hardware, software, content, training, and support services.
The Adec staff will spend their visit examining the latest educational technological products available in the market, and making connections with key suppliers in order to enhance information and communication technologies in schools across Abu Dhabi.
