The rules of passing, success and promotion (tarfee’) differ from one stage to another. In the first stage where basic subjects must be focused in the child’s brain, the student does not progress to the next term until he passes all basic subjects in this stage. If the student fails one of the basic subjects, he must repeat all the course’s subjects. For instance, a child who cannot read, fails Islamic culture or cannot undertake the counting exercises adopted for the term cannot transfer to the next term.

Where the student fails any term of the first stage, he must repeat it in the immediate following term and he cannot take a holiday except after completing 3 consecutive terms after his failure…and so on until he completes the first school stage. If the student attains 10 years without successfully transferring to the second stage (middle), expert educators investigate his case in order to advise whether to transfer him to the second stage (middle) or to a special school for educating slow learners.

Where the student fails one of the basic subjects in this stage, he is promoted to the next term together with the subject such that he sits its exam together with the exams of the next terms’ subjects giving the student enough time to study and understand the subject he failed. The school also gets enough time to offer additional courses to strengthen the students in the subject they failed.

The student fails the course if he fails two basic subjects of the term or if he accumulates two failures in basic subjects, i.e. the student is not promoted if he accumulates two supplementary exams in any of the terms. The student progresses after repeating the term and passing all additional subjects together with passing the subjects he carried forward from previous terms.

Where the student fails a term of the second school stage, he must repeat it in the next course immediately, and he is not entitled to a holiday until after studying three consecutive terms after his failure…and so on until he completes the second stage. Once the student attains 15 years without successfully progressing to the third stage (secondary), expert teachers investigate his case to advise whether to promote him to the third stage (secondary) or to vocational (hirafiyya) institutes.

If the student fails one of the basic subjects, he progresses to the next term together with the subject such that he sits its exam together with exams of the next terms’ subjects.

The student fails if he fails two of the term’s subjects or if he accumulates two of the basic subjects i.e. he does not progress to the next course if he accumulates two supplementary exams in any one course. The student progresses after repeating the term and passing all additional subjects together with passing the subjects he carried forward from previous terms.

In the situation where the student fails one of the terms of the third school stage he must repeat it in the next term immediately, and he is not entitled to a holiday until after studying 3 consecutive terms after his failure…and so on until he completes the third stage (secondary). If the student attains 20 years of age without completing the third stage i.e. without completing the 36th school terms, he is not allowed to remain in school. If he wishes, he may sit the general examination for the school stages externally, or join institutes that do not require success in the general exam.