Iraqi education ministry opts to let failing students resit exams for a fee

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Education Ministry has proposed letting students who fell short of qualifying for second-round exams pay to sit them for a fee of 50,000 dinars (about $33) each, in a measure that still needs Cabinet approval to take effect.

The ministry said the fee would not go into general state revenue but would be set aside entirely to build two new schools. It announced the funding detail in a second statement issued at 1:35 a.m. Wednesday, after a late-night meeting of its Opinion Authority, chaired by Education Minister Abdul Karim al-Jubouri, approved the plan.

The decision covers third-intermediate and sixth-preparatory students who did not initially qualify for the second round. The ministry said it was adopted “in consideration of the exceptional circumstances facing students and in response to appeals from parents,” but that it falls outside the ministry’s authority and must go to the Council of Ministers for final sign-off.

Jubouri said the ministry had moved despite the country’s financial strains to give students an extra chance, and that the fees collected could fund the construction of two modern schools.

He also directed that local holidays be coordinated with local administrations so they do not disrupt the school calendar.

Sixth-preparatory exams are Iraq’s national school-leaving exams and the main basis for admission to public universities, with scores determining eligibility for different colleges through the central admissions system. Third-intermediate exams are national exams marking the end of compulsory education. Those who fail to qualify for second round exams usually have to repeat the year.

The fee has drawn comparison with the Kurdistan Region, where students are not charged to sit the equivalent ninth- and 12th-grade ministerial exams.