The confusion persisted regarding Secondary School Certificate/matriculation and intermediate board exams, as an important meeting of the stakeholders at the Ministry of Federal Education once again on Monday ended without any definite decision.
Sources within the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training told Daily Times that an important meeting was convened in the ministry through video link in consultation with 29 Boards to deliberate on Promotion policy of the students enrolled in the SSC and Intermediate classes amidst when all academic institution are closed as precautionary measure in COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry also made Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) part of the meeting.
The government already extended the closure of educational institutions until July 15 and cancelled all exams following a decision made by the meeting of interprovincial education Ministers and the National Coordination Committee (NCC).
The NCC also had decided that 10th and 11th grade students would be promoted on the basis of the previous year’s results, while 9th and 10th grade students will be promoted without exams.
The purpose of the meeting, however, was to clear the air regarding the confusion surrounding the cancellation of examinations of students of Matriculation and Intermediate by respective Examination Boards.
Earlier, the Federal Education Ministry proposed that to not promote Private students registered with different Boards while some other stake holders suggested that four to six percent extra marks should be granted to the students.
The sources disclosed that recommendations would also be given on devising a policy to determine whether the students who have flunked in two or three papers in Class IX or first year intermediate examinations could be promoted.
Usually, students who fail in some papers in Class IX but are promoted, have to give combined examinations. Same goes for intermediate exams.
The said Boards also submitted in all provinces also submitted some detailed statistics of the students studying in Matriculation and Intermediate grades on the basis of which the results of each Board for the last three years would be reviewed and the candidates would be promoted according to the proportion of their marks.
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training confirmed about hold of meeting in the Ministry. “All Board Exams are cancelled. No confusion on that. The 80 percent students have no issue. There are some categories like repeaters and improvers or private students and some others whose issues need to be addressed”, he said in a statement adding that that will be done by May 15.
The Minister said that the Boards have requested for few more days to finalize that matter and a comprehensive announcement will be made soon. As per Education Ministry data, around four million students appear in Board exams conducted by 29 educational boards across the country every year. The uncertainty about the exams is however creating a great confusion among the concerned students.
Earlier, aftermath of extension in lockdown by May 31 the government had announced 20 percent concession in fee in the schools charging fee more than Rs 5000 per month. Now after extension closure of educational institutions by July 15 the parents of the students, meanwhile, demanded that the government should extend the given fee concession accordingly.
