Pupils at the Ibn Ghaldoun school in Rotterdam will have to retake a number of their school-leaving exams following the theft of 15 different exam papers.

Junior education minister Sander Dekker told parliament on Tuesday the pupils will have to resit the papers between June 19 and 21 to ensure they get a reliable final result.

There is no reason to assume the stolen papers were spread outside the school, Dekker said. Nevertheless, the theft raises serious questions about the school’s organisation and he is sending in the inspectors, the minister added. A local CDA councillor has called for the school to be closed down.

Arrests

Three pupils at the school have been arrested in connection with the theft and remain in custody. One youth is reported to be the son of a physics teacher.

The theft is the worst case of exam fraud in Dutch education history. The scandal emerged when the French school leaving exam for pre-university pupils was leaked on the internet.

Pupils at the school are furious at having to retake their exams. One boy told Nos television he now has three exams on one day. ‘I thought I had done a good job on my papers,’ he said. ‘It really is not fair.’