The pressure that comes with the ‘Thanaweya 3ama’, Egypt’s final high school exams, and any other type of final exam, is a kind of stress that one never forgets. We grew up listening to our parents tell us how hard their exams were and how much they studied. Inevitably, we also grow up pressured to perform well because these are ‘life determining’ exams that decide which college you go to; and if you go to college at all in some cases.
‘Thanaweya 3ama’ During COVID-19
As over 650,000 students are said to be taking the exams, this year in particular there is a newly added pressure on ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ that is COVID-19.
Ahram Online explained that the Egyptian cabinet is taking all the possible and necessary precautions, such as distributing 33 million face masks, gloves and hand sanitizers to the schools holding exams. The Education Minister Tarek Shawky also said that there are sanitizing walk-through gates, temperature checkpoints before entering the exam halls, and 2,500 ambulances ready to move any suspected cases to hospitals.
Essentially and as predicted, photos showing crowds of students and parents gathered outside schools circulated and gained public attention on social media. True that the exam halls are spaced out; however, groups of people gathering outside aren’t controllable.
Many called for postponing the exams or for replacing it with an online system; however, ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ is the only way for students to go to college. If they miss the exams, they’d have to wait until next year for a re-take; and after all the hard work, that option isn’t appealing.
The Stress Of Grades And Pressure To Succeed
‘Thanaweya 3ama’ is stressful as it is, and in these current conditions, it can’t possibly be any easier. However, put aside COVID-19. Another true issue that ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ faces, and has always faced, is fear, stress, and tears.
One article by Daily News Egypt addressing the ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ in 2018, started by saying, “Nervous breakdowns, depression, fainting, anxiety, tension, lack of sleep, fear, intensive preparations and studying, and sometimes committing suicide. Those are just some examples of what happens to students during the annual secondary school exams season.”
But it doesn’t have to be this way. It is true that grades at that age can be life changing, but grades are also not the end of the world. Hurting your own mental and physical health at the expense of grades is not something worth doing. But there is also a thin line that needs clarification; do not confuse working hard with putting ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ on a pedestal in the sense that if ‘I don’t get the grade that I want, then I am nothing’.
Grades Are Not An Indication Of Success
According to Forbes, people who graduate with the highest grades are not necessarily always on the road to guaranteed success, nor are they “responsible for disruptive innovations and paradigm shifts within society.”
“Schools reward students who consistently do what they are told. Academic grades correlate only loosely with intelligence,” the article added. And it’s true. Grades measure how well you’ve studied, what you’ve memorized, and what you understand. But none of this determines success rates in actual, real life.
Unfortunately, a huge part of the pressure and need to do well often comes from parents. Two years ago a student committed suicide during the exams. And this is not the first occurrence. Ahram reported that students in ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ “have taken their own lives during the course of the final exams, and after receiving undesired marks and under parental pressure to achieve”.
It must be made clear to students that grades are not the end of the world and it also must be clear to parents that grades do not define your child’s intellect in any way. There is this culture of stress and overwork, especially in recent years, that has done more damage than worthwhile breakthroughs in any field of study.
This necessity to perfect everything follows through to college and work life too. It’s almost as if being ‘overworked’ and stressed is the right way to feel; as if it is an indication that you are on the right track. For ‘Thanaweya 3ama’ students, it is too soon to think of work life, but it isn’t too soon to take a breath and realize that an exam is not the end of the world.
In these current conditions, your priorities should be ensuring you have your mask, gloves and sanitizer at all times, practicing social distancing, and doing your best.
