DIR: The grade-V students of the state-run schools and their parents on Monday expressed concern over the decision of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department to restore the old examination system and urged the government to reverse it.
The students said the decision of conducting the examinations through high and higher secondary schools has created confusion and doubts.
Students of different schools said they were confused whether to continue preparation for the annual examinations as the pattern of NTS type question papers for which they have been trained earlier or the old system.
Javid Khan, a grad-V student, said that they had memorised Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and short questions as they were told earlier that the annual examination 2015-16 would be taken under the new pattern.
“We have already made preparations for the new method. The decision of restoring the old examination method at the eleventh hour has left us embarrassed,” he added.
Another student, Rahim Bacha, said that it was very difficult for them to make preparation as not sufficient time has been left in conducting the annual examination. “I am worried. Most of the students may not be able to attempt the question papers properly,” he added.
Not only students but the teachers also expressed concern and criticised the decision. The teachers said they had prepared the students for the new pattern. “It is unfair to ask the students at the last minute to memorise long answers and restart their preparation for the old pattern,” said a teacher Muhammad Tahir.
He said the government should have made the decision a few months earlier so the students would have made preparation for the old pattern.The parents criticised the government and Education Department for the decision, terming it as failure of the provincial government.
“The government is making new experiments. The government and Education Department have no idea or vision what to do,” said Muhammad Iqbal, a resident of Panakot.Sources in the Education Department of Upper Dir confirmed that the decision had drawn criticism from parents, students and teachers.
“We are trying to convince the high-ups to review the decision,” said an official requesting not to be named. He said they had earlier directed the principals and heads of all the schools to prepare the students for the new pattern and they did so. “The decision could waste students precious time,” he added.
He said they didn’t know why the government had revised the decision. “We have been directed that the old examination pattern has been restored,” he added.It is to be mentioned here that under the old examination pattern the principals and heads of high and higher secondary schools would prepare the question papers, mark papers and announce the results.
