Somalia has postponed national high school exams after discovering that papers were being sold and shared on social media.

The Education Minister, Abdullahi Godah Barre affirmed during a broadcast on national TV that “Any exams that have already been taken have been invalidated”

The cancellation spurred students’ protest in Mogadishu, the capital.

The exams will now take place over five days at the end of May, in which social media will be shut down to avoid leaks.

It still remains vague how the siege would be executed, and if it would be for the whole country.

The social media where the posting of papers took place was still not disclosed by Mr Barre.

According to a local Radio Dalsan, the exam papers were been sold and shared on social media by a criminal network.

Students had been writing their final year exams since Saturday and they were supposed to end in a week's time, but Mr Barre said the postponement was vital.

He said during a briefing on state TV on Monday that "It's unfortunate that a cheat sits with a hardworking student in a class. So the ministry decided to invalidate the papers already done by students and cancel the remaining"

Over 31,000 students across five of Somalia's regional states will be affected by the postponement.