The Syrian Future Movement is closely following the start of the General Secondary Certificate examinations in Syria on Saturday, June 6, 2026, with the participation of 368,596 students distributed across 1,570 examination centers in various governorates. This includes 215,258 students in the scientific stream, 127,343 in the literary stream, 23,267 in vocational secondary schools, and 2,728 in religious secondary schools.
The Basic Education and Religious Preparatory examinations also begin simultaneously, with the participation of 450,884 students.
The Syrian Future Movement appreciates the efforts exerted by the Ministries of Education and Interior in ensuring the transportation of exam papers to the examination centers, as well as the organizational and logistical measures taken by the relevant authorities to guarantee the smooth conduct of the examinations.
It also commends the decision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology not to interrupt telecommunications and internet services during the examination period, while providing the Ministry of Education with alternative technologies and solutions to combat cheating and ensure the integrity of the exam papers. This path necessitates looking towards more advanced mechanisms that will place our national examinations on the map of global recognition.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the pace of transformation in examination systems worldwide is accelerating, in accordance with the framework established by the OECD’s 2026 report, “Theory and Practice of the Higher Secondary Certificate.” The report sets clear standards for global assessment systems, emphasizing that effective accreditation frameworks combine external verification of learning outcomes, assessment of a wide range of skills, and transparent rules understood by everyone in higher education institutions.
Below, we review some of the most inspiring examples, all of which confirm that the future of examinations lies in digitalization and artificial intelligence:
- The Finnish Model: Finland adopted a fully integrated digital system for managing national examinations in 2014. Their Abitti system provides a secure and equitable digital examination environment for all students, with technical monitoring mechanisms that prevent access to prohibited materials and unauthorized content during the exam. This has significantly reduced cheating incidents. It is worth noting that Finnish examination papers are ranked among the most effective globally in measuring understanding rather than memorization.
- Singapore Model: Singapore established an independent body (SEAB) responsible for developing and administering all national examinations, ensuring integrity and transparency. Over the past five years, the average number of cheating cases per year has been only 12 across all levels, representing just 0.01% of all candidates. All candidates are subject to standardized marking criteria to guarantee equal qualifications.
- South Korea Model (Strong Security Measures): The Korean Curriculum Evaluation Commission provides a completely isolated environment to ensure the integrity of the questions. Question writers are isolated in closed facilities for up to 38 days prior to the exam. Handheld metal detectors are distributed to each center, and network monitoring is conducted in the examination halls, utilizing surveillance cameras.
- Germany Model: Germany developed a central question bank for examinations in the core subjects: German, English, French, and Mathematics.
This central bank, used by all German states, ensures uniformity of assessment and quality standards and maintains national standards, while allowing individual states the freedom to adopt questions and establish the overall framework.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that a genuine transformation of the examination system begins with building a culture of academic integrity as a deeply rooted societal value, not merely adopting deterrent measures.
In Singapore, the rate of cheating is only 0.01%, not only due to the strictness of the laws, but also because integrity is integrated into the educational curriculum from an early age.
Therefore, the Syrian Future Movement calls for the inclusion of moral education and academic integrity in the basic education curriculum, and for reinforcing the concepts of responsibility, honesty, and transparency as cornerstones of the Syrian student’s character.
The Syrian Future Movement has previously called, in its earlier statements, for the separation of the bodies responsible for curriculum development from those responsible for preparing and grading exams, to ensure impartiality and objectivity. In this context, it reiterates its demand for the establishment of an independent national examination and evaluation authority, responsible for:
- Establishing unified standards for national examination questions, and ensuring their quality and suitability for measuring skills and understanding, not rote memorization.
- Adopting advanced anti-cheating systems, including surveillance cameras, metal detectors, network monitoring systems, multiple-choice questions, and regular monitoring of examination centers.
- The first phase will involve implementing electronic marking for essay exams, with the later expansion to include artificial intelligence technologies, following Estonia’s model, while maintaining human oversight to ensure accuracy and fairness.
- A central bank of exam questions will be established, categorized by difficulty level and past exam models, similar to Germany’s approach.
- Transparent annual reports will be published detailing the conduct of exams, instances of cheating, and the measures taken to ensure public accountability.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that developing the national examination system is a national imperative and a strategic investment in the future of coming generations. When the Syrian secondary school certificate meets international standards, it will open doors to global universities for our students and serve as a gateway to broader horizons of knowledge and employment.
We believe that the advanced logistical organization and stringent security measures achieved in the 2026 exams provide a solid foundation upon which to build. We must now confidently move towards a comprehensive digital transformation, establish an independent national examination body, and adopt modern assessment mechanisms, so that we can move from “exempting cheating” to a “culture of integrity,” from “successful” to “competent,” and from “local certification” to “global recognition.”
