Public schools in Saudi Arabia concluded their end-of-term written exams for the first semester on Thursday, amidst a mobilization of administrative and technical resources to ensure the swift and accurate release of results. The Ministry of Education issued strict instructions to school administrations to complete the monitoring and verification processes through the central "Noor" system, in preparation for making results available to students and parents before the end of the school day.
Digital transformation in Saudi education
The complete reliance on the Noor system for monitoring and announcing results is part of the Ministry of Education's digital transformation strategy, which aims to automate educational processes and connect all pillars of the educational process (home, school, and ministry) under a unified electronic platform. This system is one of the most prominent technological systems in the region, enabling precise tracking of students' academic progress, thus enhancing transparency and facilitating educational decision-making based on reliable and immediate data.
Mechanism for monitoring grades and handling absences
In detailing the new directives, the ministry emphasized the immediate entry of all data and grades to ensure results are released on schedule. Regarding students who have been absent from school this semester, the ministry resolved the issue by instructing schools to record their status as "absent" in the electronic system, rather than "dismissing" them, in order to preserve their academic records and give them an opportunity to rectify their situation according to the regulations.
The ministry also obligated schools to conduct an accurate count of male and female students who were absent from the final exams with an acceptable excuse, so that they could be included in the lists of alternative exams according to the approved timetables, thus ensuring that their educational rights are not lost.
Strict controls to prevent grade manipulation
In the context of controlling the quality of educational outputs, the Ministry of Education has blocked any individual efforts aimed at improving grades outside the regulatory framework, categorically confirming that no student who has already taken the end-of-term exam will be given a retake, regardless of the reasons or justifications.
The regulations specify a precise mechanism for evaluating absent students, where two cases are dealt with:
- Excused absence: The student is given the opportunity to take an alternative exam worth 40 marks, while retaining the full marks for coursework amounting to 60 marks.
- Absence without excuse: Attendance and punctuality marks are deducted, and the student is tested out of 60 marks (including short and final tests), while retaining only 40 marks allocated to the rest of the various assessment tools.
The importance of adhering to standards
These measures are an important step towards standardizing assessment criteria across all regions of the Kingdom and ensuring fairness and equality for all students. The speed with which results are released also reflects the efficiency of the Ministry's digital infrastructure, which helps reassure families and enables them to plan for the next academic term based on accurate and realistic results.
