Sindh cabinet gives nod to grace marks for BIEK first-year students

The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved grace marks for intermediate first-year students in Karachi, following a report by a sub-committee of the Sindh Assembly highlighting irregularities in the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi’s (BIEK) results.

In January this year, the provincial assembly, accepting the demand of opposition parties, formed a parliamentary committee headed by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah to investigate the controversial results of the intermediate board in the port city.

Last month, the parliamentary panel decided to allot 15% grace marks to intermediate first-year students in Math and Physics and 20% in Chemistry to those who failed to clear the exams.

However, the provincial cabinet meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah decided to allot 20% grace marks to all the students in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

The chief minister directed to bring reforms in the BIEK. He also directed the chief secretary to probe alleged irregularities in all the education boards in the province and submit a report in this regard.

Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting decided to impose a complete ban on the sale, manufacturing and use of plastic bags — shopping bags and plastic carrier bags — across the province.

The provincial government approved an amendment to the Sindh Prohibition of Non-degradable Plastic Products Rules 2024 to impose a ban on non-degradable plastic products, read a statement issued by the media consultant of the chief minister.