Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to solve the problem of leaked high school examination papers, saying that the government is working on a new system for the final period of high school education, known as thanaweya amma.
"We understand that the high school exams have become the top concern of Egyptian families since their children start high school," he said on Wednesday.
"The National Security Council has discussed it thoroughly. The reality is painful, but I promise you that next year the idea of the thanaweya amma will not be in the same format," he added.
Sisi made the comments during a speech at the "The Egyptian Family Iftar"celebration on Wednesday, seeking to calm tensions after several high school examination papers were leaked online by a group demanding radical changes to the education system. The leaks have disrupted high school exams through June and resulted in student protests and demands for the resignation of the education minister.
Responding to demands for reform, the president said that a new strategy for high school education and exams would be based on "international standards" and that the new "vision" should be ready in time for the autumn term. The new approach to the final years of high school is currently being considered by the government's education advisory coucil, he said.
"I ask Egyptian families who have suffered from this issue to believe that this issue will not recur in the future," Sisi said.
"We have reset some exams to ensure social justice," he continued, referring to examinations that were repeated after exam papers and model answers were leaked online, with many students accessing them by mobile phone.
"I hope that my words were enough to appease you," Sisi concluded.
Wednesday's iftar celebration took place at a Cairo hotel, with public figures, politicians, MPs, Al-Azhar scholars, actors, tribal leaders and officials in attendance.
Sisi also took the opportunity to comment on another crisis facing his government, the controversial handover of two Red Sea islands (Tiran and Sanafir) to Saudi Arabia in April, a move that was recently ruled illegal by an Egyptian court. While Sisi insisted that he would not interfere with the court's verdict, he did hint at further government efforts to ensure that the land transfer deal is finally ruled legal and ratified by parliament.
"We are keen on a state [that respects] institutions, a state that respects all its institutions. No comment on court rulings," he said, referring to a recent court ruling that anulled the land transfer deal.
However, he continued, "I request further clarification on the part of the government."
He also expressed his appreciation for those Egyptians who had opposed the land transfer on the basis that they believe the islands to be sovereign Egyptian territory, stressing that the Egyptian government had acted in good faith.
"You chose me as a guardian of Egypt. We have nothing to hide. We announce everything," he said.
