Basic Education and Sharia Preparatory Certificate Examinations Begin Across Syrian Provinces
ARK News.. Basic Education Certificate and Sharia Preparatory Certificate examinations for the 2026 session began on Thursday across Syria’s provinces, with the participation of hundreds of thousands of students amid extensive organizational and security measures.
The Syrian Ministry of Education announced that the number of candidates sitting for the Basic Education Certificate examinations reached 450,884 students, in addition to 13,141 students taking the Sharia Preparatory Certificate examinations. The candidates are distributed across 2,053 examination centers throughout the country.
The ministry affirmed that it is closely monitoring the examination process on the ground to ensure the implementation of examination regulations and to provide suitable conditions for students in a manner that guarantees fairness and equal opportunities.
In Hasaka, the number of students sitting for the examinations reached 14,425, distributed among examination centers across various areas of the governorate, according to data released by the Directorate of Education.
Meanwhile, security developments in Suwayda cast a shadow over the examination process. Local sources reported that members of the “National Guard” completely blocked the Damascus–Suwayda highway, erecting earth barriers at the Umm al-Zaytoun checkpoint simultaneously with the start of the examinations.
The sources added that armed groups stationed at the Shahba and Umm al-Zaytoun checkpoints continued to prevent large numbers of students from leaving the governorate and traveling to their designated examination centers in the Damascus countryside.
They further reported that some armed individuals demanded money from students in exchange for allowing them to pass, while others were prevented from leaving the governorate altogether. This situation adversely affected thousands of students who had previously been transferred to areas in the Damascus countryside to sit for their examinations after armed factions refused to allow the ministerial delegation responsible for supervising the examination process to enter Suwayda.
The General Secondary Education and Sharia Secondary Education examinations are scheduled to begin next Saturday. The number of students registered for the Basic Education and General Secondary Education examinations in Suwayda Governorate is approximately 13,700 students.
The Syrian government affirmed that it has handled the issue of examinations for students in Suwayda independently of political and security disputes and has implemented a series of measures to ensure students’ participation in the 2026 examination session despite the exceptional circumstances facing the governorate.
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