Decision to conduct CAIE exams in 10 schools notified

karachi: The Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training issued a notification on Friday to conduct Cambridge Assessment International Education exams in 10 schools without the British Council, but for final approval this matter is to be put up in a meeting of the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen.

According to the notification, this Cambridge Foreign Boards direct model will be a pilot project for 10 schools in Pakistan, and examinations will be held in those schools in May/June 2023.

The 10 notified schools are Beaconhouse Margallah Campus, Islamabad, Beaconhouse PECHS Campus, Karachi, Beaconhouse Defence Campus Lahore, The City School Capital Campus, Islamabad, The City School Ravi Campus, Lahore, The City School PAF Chapter, Karachi, Aitchison College Lahore, Karachi Grammar School Karachi, Lahore Grammar School Defence Campus, Lahore, and Roots School System, Islamabad.

It has been learned that Edexcel, another British organisation, had also requested the Ministry of Education a few months ago to allow it to conduct the exams directly in schools, but three days ago only Cambridge Assessment International Education was invited to a meeting chaired by Additional Secretary Education Waseem Ajmal.

There are 96 affiliated schools in Pakistan under Edexcel. Faisal Mehmood, development manager of Edexcel in Pakistan, said they had also applied to the Ministry of Education months ago, but their application was not entertained nor were they invited to the meeting.

He said their papers have never been out and their exam copies have never been lost. He said they have introduced nine grading system by abolishing A-star to raise the standard of education in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, some school principals have expressed reservations about the setting up of examination centres in their schools without the British Council and reduction in the examination fees, saying the questions of transparency would arise when the examination centres were set up in schools.