Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, Emir of Asir, has ordered an urgent investigation into the case of 46 secondary school pupils in Sirat Obaida who have not been given their biology results following allegations that they were in possession of test questions prior to sitting the examination. The Emir received a complaint from parents of the pupils stating that their children were “victims of a dispute between the biology teacher and the school management”. “The pupils were in possession of a brief list of biology test questions because of the teacher's repeated absence from class, totaling over 41 days,” the complaint said. The pupils were reportedly taken aback on the day of the examination, however, to find that the test covered areas which they had not been taught, leading them to handing in their examination papers without writing their names on them. “When we approached the regional Educational Department it was decided that the pupils would be awarded a grade of five, resulting in a significant lowering of their grade averages,” the complaint said. An education official from the department said that information had been received of the “leak of exam questions” prior to the date of the test.
