Ramadan‑Season Exams Put Primary‑School Parents Under Pressure
The holy month of Ramadan has started off at breakneck speed for parents whose children are in primary schools and are now sitting the second‑term evaluation exams.
What changed this year?
The Ministry of Education altered the usual exam schedule. Until last year, the assessments were spread over two weeks:
| Week | Subjects |
|---|---|
| 1st week | History, Geography, Civic Education, Islamic Education, Music, Recitation |
| 2nd week ( “blocked week”) | Core subjects – Mathematics, Literary subjects, Scientific discovery |
This year all subjects are grouped into a single evaluation period. Students now sit both core subjects and memorisation‑heavy subjects in the same week.
Consequences for students and families
- Double effort – pupils must memorise facts for History, Civic or Islamic Education and stay focused on scientific reasoning for maths and science.
- No class interruption – regular lessons continue throughout the two‑week exam window, so the school day ends with exams and normal teaching.
- Exhaustion – children finish the day not only drained by the tests but also by the regular classroom hours.
Since the start of the holy month, this evaluation period has become a major source of stress for parents, especially mothers who must juggle preparing Iftar meals with helping their children revise for the second‑term exams.
“The students will finish the morning exhausted after taking their tests and attending classes. Once they get home they still have to revise for the next day,” says Mariem, a young mother of two.
Mariem’s daughter is in sixth grade (primary) and, like her classmates, will face two exams per day during the evaluation week. The exam programme includes both core subjects and disciplines such as History and Islamic Education, while regular classes continue unchanged.
The situation is even more taxing because some pupils, including her daughter, are fasting.
“The rhythm is extremely tiring for her and for all primary‑school students,” she adds.
A call for a more sensible schedule
Finding the current arrangement overly restrictive, Mariem urges the Ministry of Education to revise the exam calendar. She proposes a return to the traditional two‑week format (pre‑blocked and blocked weeks), taking into account the coincidence of the second‑term exams with Ramadan starting this year.
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Examens du 2e trimestre : début des épreuves écrites dans les écoles, collèges et lycées
Keywords: Ramadan, second‑term exams, primary school, Tunisia, Ministry of Education, exam schedule, parental stress, fasting students, Iftar, education reform.
