Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy announced the decision on Saturday after a number of Telegram users reportedly shared a leaked copy of the question paper of the third preparatory year exams in several governorates, including Cairo.

The educational directorates in these governorates affirmed that they are tracing the leaked exam papers to take necessary legal actions, and that they would cancel the exams of those involved in the dissemination of the leaked papers.

​The third preparatory year exams hold crucial importance in Egypt, as they determine students' advancement to the next stage of education, including high school or technical education.

Booklet system

The booklet system was introduced to prevent leaks of the final Thanaweya Amma (high school) exams, which determine students’ access to higher education.

This system was implemented in 2017 following the widespread circulation of leaked Thanaweya Amma exams in previous years.

Under the booklet system, students are required to write their answers directly on the same papers as the questions, eliminating the use of separate answer sheets as in the past.

By distributing the questions across multiple papers instead of consolidating them into a single booklet, leaks become much harder, according to Chairman of the Supreme Council of Trustees Abdel-Raouf Allam.

More measures to curb cheating

In addition to the booklet system, the Ministry of Education introduced several more measures to address cheating at the third preparatory year level, including:

• Each set of 20 question papers will be sealed in an envelope, which can only be opened inside the exam hall. A unique watermark will be assigned to each educational directorate to further enhance security.

• Exam invigilators and all personnel involved in the examination process within the exam halls will be strictly prohibited from carrying mobile phones. Furthermore, efforts will be intensified to prevent students from bringing their phones into the exam venues.