At first glance, an observer might think they are at a wedding, or a celebration of a world record, or a local team's promotion to the premier league, but the surprise is that these scenes were of students expressing their joy at the end of high school exams.

Several Egyptian governorates and cities witnessed these celebrations, as some students hired folk music bands playing drums and the 'baladi oboe', with motorcycles performing stunts, while some female students were content with receiving bouquets of flowers and congratulations.

The celebrations included gorilla dances, salt throwing, and fireworks, amid ululations and chants, in various areas of Cairo, Alexandria, Kafr El Sheikh, Ismailia, Gharbia, Luxor, Benha, and South Sinai.

Notable was the appearance of a mother in a video in Ismailia governorate smashing the 'qulla', a clay pot used for drinking water, in a folk tradition expressing relief from a distressing crisis, while a mother in Monufia governorate gifted her daughter an iPhone Pro Max 17.

Female students received flowers and gifts (circulated on X)

Experts and specialists see these celebrations as reflecting 'an unprecedented volume of pressure and stress' accompanying the high school exams in Egypt, to the extent that their mere conclusion has become an occasion worth celebrating, regardless of the expected result in about two weeks.

Educational expert Dr. Tamer Shawky considered these phenomena 'an indicator of the magnitude of the crisis that Egyptian society is experiencing, after the high school exam turned into a nightmare that casts its shadow over the student and family throughout the exam period, and is embodied in an abnormal amount of tension, fear, and anxiety, which explains the explosion of joy in this way as soon as it ends.'

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'There are factors that contributed to turning this certificate into a (bogeyman) that frightens society, including the exaggerated view of it as the student's first and last opportunity, and that it will determine his fate and the university he will attend, in addition to the limited seats available in public universities, and considering the total score achieved by the student as a criterion for the (honor) or (shame) that will befall him and his family.'

According to the official electronic portal of the Ministry of Education, the total number of applicants for the high school exams in Egypt for 2026 reached about 921,709 male and female students, while the exams were held in 2,032 main committees distributed across the republic within 613 exam complexes.

Parents celebrate with their children (circulated on X)

On Thursday, what has become known in Egypt as the 'high school marathon' ended, which began on June 21 for students of the literary and scientific divisions.

Psychological consultant Dr. Ghada El-Samman blamed the high school crisis on what she described as the 'old mentality' of some families, which views this certificate as a 'crossroads' and a decisive station in 'determining the fate' of children.

She added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'One of the most dangerous effects on students' mental health is that they evaluate themselves based on their total score in this certificate. If one achieves a high score, he believes he deserves his family's love, and if he stumbles, he believes he is a disobedient son and will become hated, which may cause students serious mental illnesses, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and pathological anxiety.'