THE Ministry of Education will conduct placement tests in the second week of August as a special measure to prevent learning disruption among over-age children who are outside the formal basic education system in border areas and some regions and states during the current academic year.
Age requirements will be relaxed to allow eligible students to sit the tests and be placed in appropriate grades, according to a ministry official.
Under the supervision of regional and state education officers, township education officers are verifying applicants’ educational and age records. Children from stable areas will be allowed to sit the tests after their previous educational records have been reviewed and approved.
Chi ldren from emergency zone areas with incomplete records may sit the exams upon certification of age and schooling by local administrators, teacher heads, and health officials.
The ministry also said that students who complete Non-Formal Middle Education (NFME) Level 3 will be recognized as having passed Grade 9. Students aged 13–18 may continue at regular high schools, while those over 18, eligible under the relaxed age criteria, can sit Grades 10-12 examinations through the external system. — ASH/KNN
