Ministry calls on private schools to synchronise entrance exams

THE EDUCATION Ministry is stepping in to get the island’s private secondary schools to synchronise announcement of their entrance exam results.

The current system — with different private schools announcing entrance exam results at different times — was creating serious problems for pupils and parents, the House Education Committee heard yesterday.

Akel deputy George Lillikas said parents often ended up having to make non-returnable down-payments to more than one school. He described a common scenario: results from one school came out first and the student accepted a place, only later to switch to another, preferred, establishment once its exam results were announced.

Lillikas called on the Education Ministry to intervene to sort things out.

Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides told the committee he was ahead of the game, having already called on private schools to synchronise announcement of their exam results.

"As of next year… the dates for announcement of exam results will be the same for all private schools every year," Ioannides promised the committee.

Entrance exams for all private schools are also to be kept within a three-week period, to limit disruption to the final year of primary school.

Some 6,000 pupils, or about 10 per cent of the total, currently choose private secondary education.

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