RIYADH, 31 August 2004 — More than 75 percent of senior school students from the Kingdom who sat UK examinations this May have been successful, according to the British Council here.

Some 3,000 students took the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations conducted by the University of London and University of Cambridge respectively. Around 40 percent of the candidates were from Riyadh and an equal number from Jeddah and the rest from Dammam. Forty percent of the candidates were female students.

“The number of candidates this year was up 50 percent due to the government’s new policy to make room for foreign education,” Examinations Officer of the British Council Yassin Abdulkader told Arab News. He added that the opening of new international schools for the expatriate communities in the Kingdom has offered more opportunities for foreign students whose parents are employed in the Kingdom. “Forty percent of the successful candidates have come out with high degree passes and this showed the superior quality of education in the Kingdom,” the officer said.

Among those who topped the list in Riyadh included Ali Hassan Khokhar and Syed Umair Mahmood who obtained seven A star grades at the IGCSE examination from Manarat Al-Riyadh while Mohammed Muwyid Uzzaman Khan secured four A passes at GCE Advanced Level examination.

The institutions that fielded candidates included Manarat International School, Jawahir Al-Riyadh, Al-Orouba International School, Al-Nour International School, King Saud International School, King Abdul Aziz International School, Bangladesh International School, Pakistan International School, Middle East International school, Sri Lankan International School and Ghana International School.

The official pointed out that the students who had failed can re-sit the IGCSE examination in November and the GCE examination in January next year. “They are also allowed to apply for re-scrutiny of their answer scripts on payment of a fee,” he said.

The British Council conducts some 50 examinations in the Kingdom every year.