Out of course Islamiyat paper irks SSC Part I students

Islamabad:Thousands of candidates from schools of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) were upset about the distribution of out-of-syllabus Islamiyat (Compulsory) paper for Part-I (9th class) examinations of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) on Thursday.

As soon as the candidates went through the question paper, they rose in their seats, lodged protests and showed the inability to solve the same. The majority of candidates left the examination centres without attempting paper as they were not prepared for out of syllabus paper.

The FDE through a letter on Thursday afternoon also wrote a letter to FBISE to convey complaints received from heads of institutions regarding out of course Islamiyat Part-I paper. The details of out-of-course questions have also been enclosed with the letter.

“As the class-IX examination is a high stake-exam and out of course paper has created unrest among students and heads of educational institutions working under the ambit of FDE,” the letter said.

The FDE letter also asked the FBISE authorities to look into the matter and resolve it at the earliest in the better interests of students.

It may be pointed out here that the FDE through a letter in September, last year apprised FBISE of the decision of the National Curriculum Council. The FBISE was informed through a letter dated September 23, 2022, that the curriculum of Islamiyat-IX has been condensed and reduced for the year 202-2023.

As per the record, the decision of the National Curriculum Council was also seen and signed by the FBISR representative and the same was also conveyed to the board through a letter. It was a belated decision as all the schools had covered more than half of the course from the previous syllabus. However, the decision of the Curriculum Council was accepted and students were prepared from the condensed and reduced syllabus.

However, the question papers which were distributed in examination centres were totally from the previous syllabus including long and short questions. The situation which was created in examination halls totally upset candidates and then their parents.

Controller Examination FBISE Aqeel Imran when contacted said he also received complaints from various schools and examination centres. He said that he took notice of complaints and there would be no injustice with candidates and they would be compensated properly. “We will also inquire how it happened,” he said.

The sources said that a committee of FBISE also started investigations into the matter and would suggest remedial measures. It may also be pointed out here that the private schools were given the option to choose from the previous curriculum or the new one. They opted for the previous curriculum.