More than 200,000 junior-high school students yesterday began taking their two-day academic assessment examinations, wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as they sat for a series of major exams that would determine which high school they get into.
The approximately 210,000 students taking the Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students exams were required to wear masks, have their temperatures checked and sanitize their hands before they could enter the test venues.
All students with a fever were separated from other students and sent to a backup testing center.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
As of noon, 12 students were found to have a fever and nine backup testing centers were opened, Ministry of Education official Hsu Li-chuan (許麗娟) said.
The exams were conducted with all windows and doors open, while parents were barred from accompanying their children inside the examination venues.
The aim was to limit the number of people at the testing locations to avoid overcrowding and the potential spread of the coronavirus, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said on Facebook.
Students who are in isolation at home or quarantine and are unable to take their exams over the weekend would be able to make up their tests on May 30 and 31.
Students yesterday took tests for social studies from 8:30am to 9:40am, mathematics from 10:30am to 11:50am, Chinese reading from 1:50pm to 3pm and Chinese composition from 3:50pm to 4:40pm.
The English listening test, which is usually held on the second day of the exam, has been canceled this year, because having open windows and doors might result in traffic or other noise that could affect how well the students perform.
The exams this year also include a slightly smaller range of topics, as the semester started two weeks later than usual to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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