Technical glitch mars first set of online exams on Darsak platform

AMMAN — As the first set of tests for public schools is currently under way, students voiced their concerns over problems they faced in taking these exams conducted by the Ministry of Education through the Darsak platform.

The Darsak platform, launched in March, provides educational content for public school students from grade one to 12.

Some students had their exams interrupted midway, others could not submit the test and some could not access it in the first place, according to students who shared their stories on social media.

The Ministry of Education received a number of complaints due to these technical problems, which it attributed to the high number of students using the platform simultaneously. 

According to a statement, the ministry extended the chance to sit for exams to 9 pm instead of 7 pm. It also postponed the science exam for the second up to the eighth grade of those who were unable to take it, and the physics exam for the ninth and 10th grades.

Najeh Allan, a father of two, said that the “tension and confusion that my kids and I went through should never be repeated”.

“If the ministry is going to stand by its distance learning decision, it must be prepared for these problems,” he added.

Allan said in a Facebook post that “how could a platform created in only a matter of weeks be designed well enough to deal with hundreds of thousands of students using it at the same time”.

Spokesperson at the Ministry Abdul Ghafour Quraan said in a statement that the “ministry’s operating room received some complaints, but they were dealt with immediately,” pointing out that the second day of tests did not have as many hold ups as the first.

Quraan added that any student who faces any defect or problem “must contact the technical support numbers on the platform, each student according to his directorate.”

Sereen Abu Touq, a 10th grade student, said that she could not access her exam at all, and when she saw that time was running out she was under “intense pressure”.

“My situation was somewhat lighter than others because I kept trying for hours until I was able to sit for the exam, but I have friends who missed it because they only have one or two devices at home that they had to give to their siblings who also had tests on Darsak,” she said in a tweet.