Corona Task Force Opposes Postponement of University Entrance Exam; Exam to be Held on Scheduled Date

The ministers of health and science announced in a joint statement on Tuesday, August 12, that due to the Corona Task Force’s opposition to changing the date of the university entrance exam (Konkour), the exam will be held on the previously approved date of August 29 through September 1.

The ministers of health and science stated that the National Corona Management Headquarters has opposed any change in the timing of the nationwide university entrance exam.

According to IRNA, in a statement by Hassan Namaki, minister of health, and Mansour Ghlamali, minister of science, it was stated: “Following the announcement of the need for more time to hold the nationwide university entrance exam by the administrators of the university entrance exam, with the intention of finding an appropriate venue for conducting the exam in compliance with strict protocols, subject to the approval of the date change by the National Corona Management Headquarters,” “this change was not approved by the headquarters for multiple reasons.”

The statement added: “It was decided that with the cooperation of governors, educational, cultural, sports, military and police centers, the shortage of spaces and equipment needed for implementing and executing the protocols would be addressed, and the nationwide entrance exam would be held on the previously approved date set by the National Corona Management Headquarters (on August 29-31 and September 1).”

Iran’s ministries of science and health had previously requested a one-month postponement of the nationwide entrance exam to prepare conditions and ensure strict adherence to health protocols.

While Hassan Namaki and Mansour Ghlamali announced that the exam would be held at the previously set time, Iran’s minister of science, research and technology said the previous day that the nationwide exam had been postponed.

Mansour Ghlamali had also stated that the National Corona Management Headquarters would announce the exam date.

Insistence on postponing the nationwide entrance exam intensified following the administration of the 1399 graduate school entrance exam on August 7 and reports of failure to comply with health protocols in exam centers.

Hosseinali Shahriari, chairman of the parliament’s health committee, said in a conversation with the Young Journalists Club: “Based on field investigations, objective evidence, and various contacts with the parliament’s health committee, strict implementation of protocols to protect the health of exam candidates and prevent their infection with coronavirus in the graduate school entrance exam and medical residency exam was not carried out.”

Following the publication of similar reports, the health ministry imposed stricter protocols on the National Organization for Educational Testing and the ministry of science for holding the exam.

The director of the National Organization for Educational Testing said regarding the health ministry’s conditions for holding the nationwide entrance exam: “The first condition of the health ministry was that the distance between chairs should be increased to two meters, which was not possible for us to provide.”

He added: “The second condition of the health ministry was that in tropical provinces, halls should have 20 percent occupancy capacity, which was also not possible for us given the capacity of exam centers.”

The spokesperson for the parliament’s health committee also commented on Mansour Ghlamali’s statements about postponing the exam: “The minister of science and the director of the National Organization for Educational Testing expressed inability to comply with protocols with such strict measures, and given the emphasis by representatives on strictly adhering to health protocols in the nationwide exam, the health minister announced that the exam would be postponed.”

The 1399 nationwide university entrance exam, with the participation of 1,393,031 candidates, is scheduled to be held on August 29-31 and September 1 in three thousand exam centers.

Source: Radio Farda