The fire alarm that sounded during a final exam at Maurick College in Vught went off because sandwiches had been left in the canteen’s oven for too long. This is the principal of the school. “The alarm was only on for about four seconds.”
While VMBO students were busy with their final German exams on Friday, the fire alarm suddenly went off at the school in Vught. “The sandwiches at the catering were in the oven for too long, which caused smoke development,” says Raymond de Laat. He is the program director of the pre-vocational secondary education at the school.
According to the director, it was immediately clear that it was a false alarm, so the fire alarm was turned off after a few seconds. Teachers then immediately went to the exam room to tell students not to leave the room, but it was too late.
“It happened just during the change of classes, so it was very busy in the hallway. When they got to the exam room, a number of students were already outside.”
“Very annoying for the students.”
The school immediately called the Education Inspectorate to ask how to proceed with the exam. Eleven students had already handed in their test and do not have to take the exam again.
The exam was declared invalid for the other 28 students. That’s because they talked to each other when they left the room. “We don’t know what they were talking about. They may have talked about the test with each other. Unfortunately, we have to declare it invalid, because it can influence the outcome of the exam,” the Education Inspectorate explains.
Those students must take the test again at the end of June. Director De Laat emphasizes that all parents and students have been informed immediately. “It’s really annoying for the students,” he says.
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