New academic session to commence from August next year: Shafqat Mehmood

The new academic year will commence from August next year, announced Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood Monday.

Taking to his official Twitter account, the federal minister wrote: "Important decisions in inter-provincial education ministers conference. Board exams will be held in May-June and next academic year will start from August next year."

The minister added: "O and A level exams will be held as per schedule, while universities will make their own timetable for exams."

The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC)  on Monday decided to pass all students of grade 10 and 12, sources at the Ministry of Federal Education told Geo News.

Under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, it was decided that the students who fail will be given 33 grace marks.

During the conference, the education ministers decided that keeping in view the situation of COVID-19, immediate re-examination was not possible.

Education ministers decided to conduct matric and intermediate exams twice a year from next year. However, the exams will not be termed supplementary exams.

Moreover, the education ministers have decided that matriculation examinations will be held in May-June next year, while a new session will commence in August.

However, on the other hand, Sindh did not agree with Shafqat Mahmood's announcements, Education Minister Sardar Shah told Geo News.

Shah said: "Sindh government does not agree with all the decisions taken during the IPEMC.

The provincial minister said that annual examinations have already been conducted in Sindh. "The province conducted all examinations under proper SOPs," he maintained.

Shah added that the proposal for conducting examinations twice a year would be presented in the steering committee meeting.

"The decision of the steering committee will be considered the final decision," Sindh's education minister added.