DAMMAM, 10 October 2005 — Al-Bassam Schools recently held a ceremony to recognize the sixth and seventh grade female students who successfully passed the University of Cambridge Young Learners English Test (YLE) and Key English Test (KET).
The students were honored before an audience made up of their mothers, representatives from the Ministry of Education and a representative of the British Council. The entire faculty and staff of Al-Bassam Schools were also on hand to witness their achievement.
The school administration was pleased with the excellent results the students obtained on their first international test which was administered and scored by the British Council in Dammam.
From the school’s sixth and seventh grades, 23 students took the YLE, all passing successfully. Ten students also took the KET. All passed the exam successfully with five students passing with merit.
At the function, all the students who passed the examinations were given certificates and gifts by the British Council, presented by their representative Mumtaz Abdullah. The students were commended on their outstanding scores by Principal Basmah Bubshait. They were, however, urged to continue studying hard as they were just at the start of their education and many hurdles were surely ahead. Huda Al-Yousif, supervisor of private education in the Educational Supervision Center in Dammam, was the special guest at the gathering.
Nora Al-Bassam of Al-Bassam Schools remarked that the school policy emphasizes that the education program should be presented in both languages, English and Arabic.
The University of Cambridge exams provide an enjoyable and non-threatening way of assessing the English of students. The tests enable a gentle introduction to public exams and research shows that children find the tests highly motivating, giving them a push to continue in their English studies.
Al-Bassam stated that it was hoped that commending the successful English learners in a public manner would help both the students and the community as a whole see the value of English education and encourage the proliferation of English as a Second Language programs in Saudi Arabia.
