Shafqat Mahmood, Punjab minister speak on exam policy after students protest

• Shafqat Mahmood, Punjab minister agree on requesting HEC to give clear directions to universities on exam policies
• Giving policy guidelines to universities is the mandate of HEC which is an autonomous entity, says Punjab minister
• Students take to the streets in Lahore to demand online exams
  

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LAHORE: As hundreds of students took to the streets in Lahore against in-person examinations, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfaraz spoke to Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on the examination policy. 

The two ministers agreed to request the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to provide "clear directions" to universities on examination policies. 

"I talked to Federal Minister and we agreed to request HEC to give clear directions to all public and private universities regarding examination policy. Also, want to clarify that giving policy guidelines to universities is the mandate of HEC which is an autonomous entity," wrote Yassir on Twitter. 

A day earlier, Shafqat Mahmood had taken to Twitter as well to addres students' concerns regarding online examinations and had said that the decision lies with universities.

"Some university students are demanding that their exams should be online as they have been studying online," the minister had written on Twitter.

"This is a decision for the universities to make, but I have asked HEC to consult VCs and see if it is possible given special circumstances this year."

The minister had added that universities "should also assess whether they have the technical ability to conduct online exam for all students, stressing that no student should be left behind.

"No one can be left behind. It is also necessary to ensure that the online exam system is not misused to get easy grades," he had written. "Preparing good question papers/ assessment is important."