JERUSALEM, September 5, 2008 (WAFA)- A sixteen year old Palestinian student, Mahran Odeh, from the  Frères Boys’ College in Jerusalem, has scored one of the highest marks in the United Kingdom General Certificate of Education (GCE) in Classical Arabic (with candidates from more than 85 countries entering), and is amongst the top ten International students for the year 2008.

The British Council, being the administering body and examination centre for the GCE exams, recognises this great achievement for Mahran and all the 155 students who sat for GCE exams in the scholastic year 2007/2008. Micheline Sleibi, British Council’s Examination and Education Coordinator said: “This year’s candidates have achieved excellent results; it is a proven record that these students go on to university and excel in their studies especially in the scientific fields. Their research and science laboratory skills are highly acclaimed by university professors”.

Ross Hall, Edexcel’s International Director said: “This is a tremendous achievement and testament to the hard work students put in preparing for their examinations. We send our congratulations to Mahran Odeh.”

The British Council has been administering the GCE exam as part of its Examination Services, in partnership with Edexcel, the UK’s largest education awarding body, and most famous for its high academic standards and testing systems to promote quality UK qualifications to students locally and provide them with the opportunity of achieving their potential. Ms. Sleibi also added: “In partnership with the local schools, we aim to provide access and support to Palestinian students during their studies.”

It is worth mentioning that a UK qualification offered by Edexcel is recognised around the world by universities and employers. It is also a fair test of school students’ knowledge and ability.

The British Council offers and administers several academic and professional examination services thus promoting UK qualifications to the Palestinian community and beneficiaries, enabling them to pursue an accredited qualification in country without the need to travel to the UK; such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) which measures ability to communicate in English for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.