Ftoun Abou Kerech wrote “The Doves of Damascus” shortly after arriving in the UK LONDON: A Syrian student in the UK who failed her English GCSE exams has gone viral with a poem she wrote about her homeland. Ftoun Abou Kerech wrote “The Doves of Damascus” shortly after arriving in the UK aged 14, in which she writes about the sadness she felt about leaving Syria and what made it special to her. Her teacher, Kate Clanchy — who is also an award-winning poet herself — posted it on Twitter and it was quickly picked up and praised by social media users. Clanchy, speaking to the UK’s The Times newspaper, said she posted the poem in frustration that the current GCSE system did not recognize “literary talent and imaginative use of language.” She said: “The new GCSE is the last straw in a bundle of shallow thinking. “It is over-determined syllabuses and bullying of teachers which has been getting heavier for a long, long time,” she added. Syrian student Kerech achieved a 4 in her English Language exam, but 5 is considered a good pass. Her poem was picked up by notable authors like Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, and Sir Philip Pullman — author of His Dark Materials — who hailed the student as a “talent.”