In a radical reform aimed at restructuring the academic calendar, the Ministry of Education has effectively ended the crisis of the backlog of oral exams and practical applications that has long plagued millions of students and their families before final exams. This was achieved by adopting a new organizational methodology that mandates these assessments to be conducted immediately after the completion of each academic unit, with grades calculated using a cumulative system and real-time electronic monitoring.
These decisions come amidst fundamental transformations in the Kingdom's education sector, as the Ministry seeks to shift from the concept of "teaching for the sake of the exam" to "teaching for the sake of learning." Historically, the week preceding written exams has been a tremendous psychological burden, with a heavy schedule of oral and practical tests, leading to student distraction and heightened anxiety. The new regulations address this issue rigorously.
The new regulations require all schools to conduct short oral and written assessments concurrently with regular classes, eliminating the practice of postponing these tasks until the end of the term. They also mandate that grades be recorded in the central system at least twice during each academic period to ensure fairness and transparency, and to allow parents to monitor their children's progress regularly.
These measures were based on the 2025 curriculum guidelines, which emphasized the implementation of formative assessment. The importance of this type of assessment lies in its being a timely measurement tool linked to the actual learning outcomes of each unit, rather than relying on delayed summative assessment, which deprives students of the opportunity for improvement and remediation. This approach enhances the quality of educational outcomes and reduces learning loss.
Regarding the timetable, the ministry has set a red line requiring teachers to complete all assessment tasks two full weeks before the final exams. This strategic step aims to enable students to focus mentally on the final written exams and prevent the accumulation of performance-based tasks during critical days, thus providing a comfortable environment for review and concentration.
According to the approved grading system, students can now have up to 60% of their total grade deducted before entering the final exam hall. This is achieved by allocating 40 points for performance tasks and participation, and 20 points for continuous assessments. This distribution transforms the final exam (40 points) into a supplementary rather than a sole, decisive element, thus establishing a new era of educational equity that provides students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their abilities throughout the various stages of the curriculum.
