Abu Dhabi/Dubai: As June draws closer, exams loom for thousands of schoolchildren in the UAE.
While most pupils will sit their final examinations for the 2012-2013 academic year in June, including those enrolled at public schools, others in Asian curriculum schools will attend school evaluations before the start of the summer break.
Pupils said they were nervous about the upcoming evaluations, whereas parents reported they were taking steps to help their children through the period. School principals, meanwhile, recommended that examinees simply attend to their studies on a regular basis, as this is the easiest way to ensure success in the exams.
According to schedules released by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), exams are set to begin in the emirate for Grades 6 to 12 pupils at private schools, public schools, placement centres, education care centres and Family Development Foundation adult education centres on June 9. Exams for Grades 7 to 11 pupils who undertake home schooling, or are enrolled in other adult education centres, start on May 28.
Public schools in Dubai and Ajman — from primary through to high school — will start their examinations on June 9. Grade 12 students all over the country will sit their first exam on June 9. Science students will finish on June 18, while literature students will finish on June 20.
However, public schools will stay open and teachers will attend until the first week of July.
Private schools have their own schedule. Three Dubai schools said that their exams will finish between June 28-30. Gems Modern Academy and Our Own English High School are set to finish on June 28 and The Millennium School will finish on June 30.
This year, exam times under the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum have also been increased from 90 to 110 minutes to allow sufficient time for pupils to attempt all exam questions.
Adec also announced earlier this month that preparations are under way to ensure a smooth and well-organised examination process for pupils.
Nevertheless, the exam period does prove to be nerve-wracking for many parents and guardians as they try to ensure children remain healthy and calm.
Mahmoud Nabi, a 42-year-old Bangladeshi parent in the capital, told Gulf News that he had already begun to take measures to ensure that his five-year-old son stays healthy.
“We are making sure that my son has enough time to study, and is getting enough rest at night. We are also feeding him healthy food, and advising him how to stay calm during the tests,” Nabi said.
“My 15-year-old brother has always been more interested in his sports and extracurricular activities than his academics. Now that he is sitting for his Grade 10 IGCSE exams, the whole family is slightly tense,” said H.B., a 25-year-old Pakistani resident.
“We are therefore trying to help with preparing for the exams, and also trying to provide a proper study environment for him at home,” she added.
Dr V. V. Abdul Kader, principal at The Model School, Abu Dhabi, said that exams should not be stressful if children go through their lessons on a regular basis.
“Moreover, like many other school, we also organise revision classes just before the exams to help pupils catch up on important material,” he said.
He also advised that parents, too, keep themselves up to date with their children’s academics.
“As always, eating nutritious home-cooked meals and getting eight hours of sleep a night are essential, especially for young children,” Dr Abdul Kader added.
Last year, the Ministry of Education announced that all schools, private and public, will have a unified academic calendar, but private schools still have different calendars.
Universities
Each university in the country follows its own schedule. The American University of Sharjah (AUS) started its exams on Saturday, and will finish on May 30. The American University of Dubai (AUD) finished its spring semester on May 2. The University of Sharjah (UOS) also started on May 25 and will finish on June 4. UAE University will start on June 15 and finish on June 20.
