Egypt’s Education Ministry Outlines Procedures for Students Unable to Attend Exams

High School Exams.

The Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education has issued a directive to educational directorates across the country regarding the necessary procedures for students facing compelling circumstances that may prevent them from taking their exams. This is aimed at ensuring the welfare of students completing their secondary education for the academic year 2025/2026, with exams scheduled to begin on Sunday, June 21, 2026, according to an approved timetable from the Minister of Education.

The ministry’s guidance outlines specific steps based on the nature of the compelling circumstances faced by students:.

1. Medical Excuses for High School Students:

A. Before the Exam:

If a student encounters a medical issue preventing them from taking the first round of exams in one or more subjects, their guardian must notify the relevant educational administration with the following documents:.

• A copy of the student’s examination number.
• A letter from the educational administration addressed to the General Administration of Secondary Education at the ministry, indicating the guardian’s request to postpone exams to the second round with actual grades.
• A medical report from health insurance certified and stamped by the general medical committee detailing the student’s condition.
• A copy of a letter from a public hospital indicating admission and discharge dates.
• A statement confirming the student’s absence from the head of the committee or monitoring committee, specifying which subjects were missed, stamped by either.

These documents should be submitted to the educational directorate (Student Affairs and Examinations Department) for review by the General Administration of Secondary Education at the ministry.

B. During Exam Administration:

If a sudden medical excuse arises while a student is taking an exam, it must be documented in a report prepared by both the school nurse and head of the committee, which should be sent to the relevant monitoring committee on that same day. This report will be reviewed by the General Administration of Secondary Education at the ministry to determine if the student can take that subject’s exam in a second round with actual grades.

The guardian must provide these documents through the monitoring committee:.

• A report certified by both the school nurse and head of committee detailing how and when ambulance transportation occurred during exam time.
• The original incident report.
• A certified duplicate of forms (5D) and (6D) from monitoring committee confirming what happened during exam administration and ambulance departure time.
• A request from the guardian expressing their wish to postpone that subject’s exam to round two with actual grades.

2. Other Compelling Excuses for High School Students:

Students may face various compelling circumstances preventing them from attending exams, such as:.

• Being stranded abroad due to compelling circumstances (a copy of their passport showing exit and entry visas is required).
• Death of a first-degree relative (original death certificate required).
• Childbirth for female students taking exams (original birth certificate – medical certificate stamped and approved by a general hospital required).
• Conflict between official sports competitions abroad and scheduled exam dates (original letter from sports federation + copies of exit and entry visas + certified duplicate of ministerial decision specifying competition dates).
• Natural disasters such as home destruction or flooding.

The guardian must notify through their educational administration or monitoring committee with these documents:.

• A copy of examination number.
• An absence statement detailing missed subjects signed and sealed by head of monitoring committee.

Important Notes for Submitting Compelling Excuse Documentation:

All required documents for postponing to round two with actual grades must be submitted directly to Student Affairs and Examinations at their respective directorate. These should not be sent via postal service under any circumstances. Only representatives from educational directorates will be accepted; no submissions will be accepted directly from parents or educational department representatives.

The General Administration of Secondary Education must receive a list detailing student names, subjects for which exams are postponed, and reasons for postponement through Student Affairs and Examinations at each directorate in order to make decisions regarding postponements for each student.

Students will be notified by Student Affairs about whether their postponement request has been approved or denied, simplifying communication for parents. The final deadline for submitting postponement requests is Thursday, July 30, 2026 (two weeks after scheduled exam completion on Thursday, July 16, 2026).