In a recorded video posted on the Ministry of Education's Facebook page, Shawki said the pass rate hit 78 percent in the science branch – up from 76 percent last year; 81 percent in the mathematics branch – up from 76 percent last year; and 68 percent the humanities branch – down from 70 percent last year.
Before the start of the school year, each Thanaweya student chooses one of the three branches of science, mathematics and humanities.
Over the past two year, the Ministry of Education has introduced a series of amendments to the Thanaweya Amma exams, which determine university prospects based on the grades obtained.
The amendments involve student-centred teaching and competency-based learning, aiming to replace the decades-long system of memorising for tests with a system based on the comprehension of academic material.
The new system significantly lowered the passing rate and ended the phenomenon of students obtaining full marks in their senior year of high school.
In the 2019/2020 academic year, the pass rate stood at 81.5 percent.
Shawki announced the names of the top-ranking students in the final exams for each branch of Thanaweya Amma, with the top student in the science branch scoring 402 out of 410, the top student in the mathematics branch scoring 407 out of 410 and the top student in the humanities branch getting 387 out of 410.
The top score among students with special needs was 399 out 410, the minister added.
As in the previous year, no student obtained the perfect 100 percent score this year in all subjects, Shawki said, even though top-ranking students achieved GPAs close to 100 percent.
In the 2019/2020 year, prior to the introduction of the new system, 39 students received a score of 100 percent.
Students in all the three branches of Thanaweya Amma can view their detailed grades online at 6pm today by visiting the results website, Shawki said.
Shawki issued assurances to all students that the lower grades would not affect their chances at joining their desired universities, given the increased slots that have become available due to the rise in the numbers of public, private, international and non-profit universities nationwide.
Shawki also said that all students who have caught cheating in the exams or leaking the questions were referred to the ministry's legal affairs department and/or Public Prosecution.
The minister revealed that results from some schools were withheld due to suspected mass cheating cases during the exams, assuring students that are not suspected of cheating that their results will be released once the ministry's legal affairs department and Public Prosecution conclude their investigation.
Some 650,000 high school students took the Thanaweya Amma exams this year from 20 June-21 July.
The country's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is expected to announced the minimum grades required for admission to faculties soon.
Last year, the minimum grades required for admission into Egyptian universities – including the most prestigious faculties, such as medicine and engineering – have dropped considerably for the first time in decades.
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