Under emergency and siege, Jerusalem students take their Tawjihi exams
Thousands of high school students from Jerusalem headed to take their Arabic language exams this Monday morning. This came after the first exam, scheduled for last Saturday, was postponed due to the state of emergency and the closure imposed on Jerusalem on the orders of the Israeli Home Front Command.
Approximately 3,600 students from various Tawjihi branches were distributed across more than 30 halls within the city's separation wall.
Ziad al-Shamali, head of the Jerusalem Parents' Committee, said that the first exam went relatively smoothly despite the exceptional circumstances. He noted that intensive logistical efforts had been made over the past few days to secure the exam halls and ensure students' access.
Al-Shamali explained that one of the most significant difficulties facing the students this morning was that Israeli occupation forces stationed at the gates of the Old City prevented a number of students from entering the exam hall at the College des Freres School in the New Gate area, on the grounds that they did not live within the city walls. They were later allowed to enter after multiple interventions.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the occupation authorities continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the Old City for the second week in a row, by placing iron barriers at all entrances and allowing entry only to those with residential addresses within the walls, under the pretext of a "state of emergency."
Al-Shamali added that the state of emergency and the disruption of public transportation in the city pose a challenge to students, urging them to leave their homes early to avoid being late or denied entry.
He also noted that some adjustments were made to the halls over the past week, in compliance with the requirements of the Israeli Ministry of Education, which obligates schools to provide fortified rooms or shelters as a prerequisite for holding exams.
For his part, the Committee of Families of Jerusalemite Prisoners explained that approximately 15 Jerusalemite prisoners aged around 18—the age at which they can take the high school exams—were prevented from taking their exams this year due to their detention in Israeli prisons.
High school exams began last Saturday in the West Bank, with approximately 46,000 students taking the exams, in addition to approximately 2,000 students from the Gaza Strip who are abroad. Meanwhile, students inside Gaza are prevented from taking their exams for the second consecutive year due to the ongoing war on the Strip.
