The Facebook page “Shawming Byghashish Thanaweya Amma” (Shawming’s Cheats for High School Exams) posted photos it claims are of the French language exam papers for the Thanaweya Amma (high school) examinations.
The Facebook page posted six photos of the examination papers, just after half an hour after the exam start time.
The Education Ministry said the photos are being verified and traced to uncover the perpetrators in order to start legal proceedings.
Egypt’s Thanaweya Amma exams started on Sunday and will continue over the course of a month, with 592,000 students taking the examinations to secure their futures at universities.
Shawming has been publishing leaked examination papers and model answers for almost five years, and so far the Facebook page admins have evaded capture, despite the efforts of Education Ministry officials and the police.
The Shawming admins have in the past published comments expressing concern over the education system in Egypt, and it seems the leaks of examination papers this year may be partly intended to provoke protests that force change.
The Thanaweya Amma refers to the final years of high school, which students attend between the ages of 17 and 18, and is a crucial educational stage in Egypt. A student’s score in the examinations can determine whether they are admitted to a free public university and what course they are able to study.
Authorities have worked to maintain consistent examination standards over the past few years, despite the political, economic and social turbulence of post-Mubarak Egypt. During the security void following the January 25 revolution, the Armed Forces transported exam papers using armored vehicles and helicopters.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
