Education: 40 marks for final exams and penalties for possessing a mobile phone

The Saudi Arabian education sector will turn its attention tomorrow morning, Sunday, to examination halls across all public schools, marking the start of the end-of-semester exams. This comes amidst intensive administrative and technical preparations by the Ministry of Education, aimed at ensuring the assessment process adheres to the highest standards of integrity and transparency, based on the "Fourth Edition" of the Examination Systems and Procedures Manual.

Context of developing the evaluation system

These tests are not just an annual routine procedure, but come in the context of fundamental transformations taking place in the Kingdom's education system, aimed at raising the efficiency of educational outcomes in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. In recent years, the Ministry has worked on updating the assessment regulations to reflect the true level of students, as allocating 40 marks to final written tests is a pivotal step to enhance academic seriousness and move away from total reliance on continuous assessment that was prevalent in some stages previously, thus enhancing the credibility of the academic certificate locally and regionally.

40 marks... The decision will be made in the exam hall

According to strict ministerial instructions, students tomorrow face a real challenge in securing 40 written marks, which constitute the largest portion of their cumulative grade point average. The ministry has mandated that teachers and marking committees adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and strictly follow the approved answer keys to ensure equal opportunities and absolute fairness for all students, considering any laxity in marking to be detrimental to the core of the educational process.

Technology ban: A "switched" mobile phone is a violation

As part of its enforcement measures, the Ministry adopted the slogan "No leniency for technical violations." The new regulations clarified that the mere possession of a mobile phone or smartwatch by a student inside the examination hall, even if switched off, constitutes a clear violation warranting punishment. This year, schools are implementing rigorous inspection procedures at the entrances as a first line of defense against the leaking of exam questions or the electronic sharing of answers.

Graduated disciplinary scale: from warning to expulsion

The Ministry of Education has identified three graduated penalties for dealing with cases of cheating or behavioral violations within examination committees, in order to ensure general discipline:

• First violation: Cancellation of the grade for the question in which the student was caught, with a written pledge taken from him.
• Second violation: In case of repeating the violation, the entire subject exam will be cancelled, and the conduct grades will be deducted, placing the student in the “complete” category.
• The third violation (deprivation): This is the most severe penalty, where the student is deprived of taking the rest of the exams, which means failing the entire academic year and delaying his educational progress.

Confronting plagiarism and intellectual transgressions

The regulations did not overlook ethical and security aspects, stipulating strict penalties for the crime of impersonation, including referring the impersonator (if from outside the school) to the relevant security authorities. The ministry also drew a red line against any intellectual transgressions or disrespect towards established principles within exam papers, deeming the perpetrator to have failed immediately and referred to guidance and counseling programs.

In conclusion, the ministry called on parents to provide a suitable psychological environment for their children, stressing that these strict measures are primarily aimed at protecting the rights of diligent students and ensuring that grades accurately reflect true academic achievement.