<p>Interesting article on the Palestinian educational system -- graduating from high school all comes down to one big difficult exam at the end that has a 40% flunk rate:</p>
<p>Excerpt:</p>
<p>"RAMALLAH, WEST BANK - The cell phone network collapsed under the load of frantic calls Tuesday, newspapers printed special editions and the streets reverberated with the boom of gunfire.
It wasn't another day of calamity in the West Bank, though.</p>
<p>It was an emotional response to the publication of the results of the "tawjihi," or high school final exams, with pass or fail determining who will be university-bound and who will be relegated to menial jobs.</p>
<p>Many Palestinians are obsessed with education as a ticket out of their embattled existence. They have one of the highest literacy rates in the Arab world and often seek work abroad for lack of opportunity at home.</p>
<p>The release of the scores is an annual gossip-filled ritual that gives no privacy to those who fail.</p>
<p>The names and scores of those who passed are published in newspaper supplements, posted on the Internet and read aloud on local radio stations. It's a national pastime to check the lists for who's included, and -- more importantly -- who is not...."</p>