Secondary Education

This level is considered as a continuous to the basic education and a new phase for the student as it prepares him/her for higher education or labour market. It lasts for three years divided into six semesters of three levels. Entry is conditional on obtaining the Intermediate School certificate or its equivalent.

The credit-hours system is applied in this level that provide broad choices of subjects and courses. It permits students to tailor programs that suit their future goals. In this system, the student has a choice to pursue a science curriculum, a literary curriculum, a commercial curriculum, a technical curriculum, textile and clothing track. The last track is for girls only. Students are able to change tracks depending on the common courses among more than one specialization.

The study plan of the secondary level (credit hours system) is based on the total credit hours required to complete secondary education, that are (156) credit hours for scientific, literary, commercial, textile track; and (210) credit hours for technical track.

The credit hours are divided into four groups of courses as follows:

1. Core Courses: They are characterized by the variety, integration, and ensuring a minimum of general knowledge studied by all students. They include a sufficient amount of information, skills, and attitudes that helps the students to continue their study and self-learning. The percentage of core courses out of all the study requirements is 45% for scientific, literary, commercial, textile track and 23.8% for technical track.
   
   
2. Specialized Courses: They are a group of courses that the students must study in one track (as major course). The percentage of specialized courses out of all the study requirements is 39% for scientific, literary and commercial tracks; 64.8% for textile and printed advertisement tracks; and 57.2% for technical track.
   
   
3. Elective Specialized Courses: These courses are directed towards thorough study of a specialized, or that linked to a field of knowledge. The percentage of these courses out of all study requirement is 8% for scientific, literary and commercial tracks; 11.4% for textile track; and 19% for technical track.
   
   
4. Free Elective Courses: The objectives of these courses are to enrich the curriculum, satisfy the students' interests and talent, and achieve the balance and integration between all other core and specialized courses. The percentage of these courses out of all the study requirements is 8% for scientific, literary and commercial tracks.

The daily timetable consists of six periods each of 50 minutes at all secondary schools. The Study Plans in Government Schools show the distribution of the credit hours for each course group required completing secondary education in each track.

The evaluation system in secondary schools is based on the following:

1. The continuous, diagnostic and formative evaluation carried out by the teacher of each course throughout the semester. It comprises 30% of the course's final grade, computed according to the oral and written classroom performance tests .
   
   
2. The internal evaluation is the evaluation made by the school by means of a mid-semester examination comprising 20% of the course's final grade. Specialized teachers in each subject matter are participating in this process, supervised by senior teacher.
   
   
3. The external evaluation comprises 50% of the course's final grade. The Ministry of Education is carrying out this process in collaboration with the schools by means of unified examination supervised by round committees formed by the Ministry. These committees comprise curricula's specialist and senior teachers. They inspect schools' regularity and organize cumulative and summative evaluation.

Student must attain an overall score of at least 50% in each subject matter, on condition that the students attain 20% out of internal evaluations overall grade, and the same in the cumulative evaluation carried out by the Ministry at the end of each semester.
The student must attain an overall score of at least 50% of final cumulative average, and complete all the study requirements to obtain the Secondary school Certificate.

The Ministry is adopting the percentage system in computing students' results

For more details of the student evaluation system in secondary education and technical secondary education please refer to the Legislations and Regulations.

The Ministry of Education applies The Unification of Academic Secondary Education Tracks Project since 2004/2005 .It includes (Science, Literary and Commercial) Tracks. The project was applied in two secondary schools(one for the boys and the other for the girls).The Ministry will gradually generalized the project until it will be implemented on all the secondary schools. Moreover, The Study Plans in Government Schools show the full description of the courses and requirements for the project of The Unification of Academic Secondary Education Tracks.