Up to One million students may have to take GCSE’s and A Levels early for the Ramadan season.
Due to low energy and hunger among Muslim students in the ramadan period, exams maybe taken earlier during the day when the students are least hungry.
The ramadan period will be between June 6th and July 5th, which is when a significant portion of the exams take place.
The holy month is very important to muslims, who pray and fast during the period, often in early daylight hours in the a mosque.
Strict fasting is observed during the day, then a dinner (iftar) during sun-down, breaks the fast. Also, in the early hours of the morning, muslims wake up to ’Sahur’ to eat before they begin the fast.
Sahur, which changes according to geo-graphical location and season, is often observed between the times of 4:00am – 6:00am in Europe, will be efficient in loading muslims students with the appropriate energy and nutrients to take part in exams.
This year, considering that it is spring/summer, Iftar will be opened pretty late due to later sun-set; Sahur will observed earlier, as the sun rises a little earlier than other seasons, especially in England.
“The small window in which examinations can be taken, the large number of candidates taking examinations and the diverse range of subjects available to candidates, places significant limitations on the changes that can be accommodated for anyone group.
“However, JCQ meets the needs of various groups as far as possible… Where possible, large entry GCSE and GCE (A-level) subjects are timetabled prior to the commencement of Ramadan and consideration given to whether they are timetabled in the morning or afternoon,” a spokesperson for the Association of school and college leaders in a statement.
Added: “School and college leaders are very keen to work with communities to ensure young people are able to observe Ramadan without any detrimental impact on their examinations.”
A final decision has not been reached, but a possible change in times seems apt by general opinion.