Muslim pupils should be excused from fasting during exams, ASCL advises

The Association of Schools and College Leaders has declared that Muslim school children taking exams should be allowed to opt out of Ramadan fasting.

The news comes ahead of the Ramadan month of dawn-to-dusk fasting which is expected to partly clash with summer GCSE and A-level exams, an event which has not occurred in the UK since the 1980s. The union urged that Muslim children should be ‘made aware that Islam does not require them to put their futures in jeopardy’.

The month of fasting is set to last from 6-9 June to 7 July, and will coincide with the summer solstice, totalling the longest average fasting hours in the 33 year cycle, which determines when the holy month occurs.

The Joint Council of Qualifications has taken Ramadan into account while timetabling exams, scheduling papers with the highest number of entrants to be taken before Ramadan , or in the morning.

In its recently published Ramadan and Exams 2016 information paper, the ASCL said: “The imams, Islamic scholars, and leaders we consulted were agreed that there is a pressing need for UK-based religious authorities to collectively discuss this issue and recommend solutions for Muslim communities.”

The union warned that ‘fasting and staying up late for prayers may affect memory, focus, concentration and academic performance’. The paper advised: “Grades attained at GCSE and A level are critical to the further education and career prospects of young people. 

“Young people sitting exams will need to seriously and thoughtfully take their future and their studies into account. Young people should be made aware that Islam does not require them to put their futures in jeopardy.”

The ASCL was backed by Khola Hasan, of the Islamic Sharia Council, one of the consultees for the information paper, who said: “Many Muslim students are able to keep the long summer fasts as well as revise and sit exams. But for those who think their performance may be affected, the paper offers options that are in accordance with Islamic guidelines. 

“The Islamic tradition has an established history of discussion, debate and reasoning. There are many concessions for hardship in observing religious commandments.”