Experts, students hail new Tawjihi system

AMMAN —  As students currently sit for the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) under new regulations, experts and students have so far been positive about the new system, which allows greater flexibility for students .

Under the new system, students who have sat the Tawjihi over four separate sessions, and did not pass, are permitted to resit the exam for an unlimited number of times, depending on certain conditions, as of the 2017/2018 winter session, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said. 

One of the conditions is that students must not fail in more than three subjects.

 Ahmad Al Hajaya, the spokesperson of the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA), said that the Tawjihi is not only intended for work or study in Jordan; rather, it will act as a “passport” for work and further study abroad, he said. 

“The certificate has a good reputation, in Jordan and abroad, so we always have to enhance it and work on it,” Hajaya said, adding that he felt that “the system is fair for all”.

Hosni Ayesh, a veteran educator and a columnist at Al Ghad newspaper, said he agreed with the new system. 

“I approve of the cancellation of the pass/fail classification and the cancellation of the total average,” Ayesh said, adding that he thought   linking of subjects to university courses will be beneficial for students. 

When asked about the possible impact of the decision on national plans to encourage vocational and technical education, Ayesh said that he believes any impact would be positive.

Alaa, a 23-year-old student who had planned to pass the Tawjihi in 2012, but will instead sit the exam next year, said that she wanted to register for the Tawjihi again, because she felt she had missed “a lot” over the last years and wanted to take advantage of the new opportunity.

For 19-year-old Mahmoud, initially failing the Tawjihi made him despondent. Now, as he works as a bottled water distributor, he said he now has “high hopes” of passing under the new system. 

Fuad, who is 20 years old and also failed the exam, instead decided to study a vocational course in airport management.  

Like Mahmoud, however, Fuad also said he has “renewed hopes” about his chances of passing the Tawjihi. 

“I thought I’d never take the Tawjihi again, but with the new system, I can definitely say that I want to sit them again,” Fuad said.