Cabinet okays awarding grace marks to first-year students

The Sindh cabinet’s meeting on Tuesday decided to grant grace marks to first-year students of Karachi’s educational boards, ban all types of plastic shopping bags, approve rules to monitor habitual offenders with electronic devices, and establish a Centre for Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CECVE).

Presided over by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the cabinet also pledged support to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) working groups focused on terror financing.

The meeting observed that environmental protection includes measures to prevent pollution and preserve ecological balance. It approved the amended Sindh Prohibition of Non-degradable Plastic Products Rules, 2014, to potentially ban the manufacture, sale and use of all plastic shopping bags in the province, including non-degradable and oxo-degradable types.

Separately, the universities & boards department reported a sharp decline in the marks secured by first-year students, according to the results of the 2024 intermediate examinations.

On January 13, 2025, the provincial assembly had formed a special committee to investigate this decline. They had formed a sub-committee to conduct a detailed inquiry.

The sub-committee’s main recommendations included granting grace marks to all students: 20 per cent in chemistry, and 15 per cent each in physics and mathematics.

The CM also ordered introducing reforms to improve board operations, and prevent such issues in future. While the Sindh Boards Ordinance, 1972, does not allow grace marks, the caretaker CM in 2023 had approved a similar measure based on a previous inquiry.

Expressing displeasure at the performance of educational boards, the CM directed the chief secretary to form a committee to conduct an inquiry into the reported irregularities in all the educational boards of the province.

Habitual offenders

The Sindh Habitual Offenders Monitoring Act, 2022, notified on August 11, 2023, aims to combat street crime and enhance safety in cities. It allows monitoring habitual offenders using electronic devices.

The use of electronic monitoring began in the US in 1983, and has since spread to various countries, including South Korea, where it led to a significant reduction in cases related to sex offenders.

Key features of the new rules include creating databases of e-tagged offenders at various police levels. The monitoring devices must be waterproof, durable, non-removable and capable of real-time tracking.

Magistrates will order the attachment of these devices for at least six months, based on police requests or their own initiative. The cabinet approved these rules.

Separately, the Sindh CECVE Act, 2025, was presented to the cabinet. The centre will be established within the home department, and will be led by a board of governors chaired by the home minister.

Its main functions include conducting research, developing policies to counter violent extremism, and providing support to the FATF working groups on terror financing. It aims to counter online radicalisation, hate speech and youth delinquency while also reporting action plans to the board.

Additional roles involve engaging experts for discussions; organising capacity-building workshops; holding training programmes for socio-economic integration of youth, women and minorities; collaborating with religious leaders to combat extremist interpretations of religion; and liaising with international entities on terrorism-related issues.

On the health department’s proposal, the cabinet approved the termination of 289 Covid-19 doctors and staff nurses, as their extended contracts had expired on June 30, 2024.

The cabinet also increased the budget for the District Headquarter Hospital Thatta, now a tertiary hospital, from Rs485 million to Rs835 million for 2024-25, including a 10 per cent increase for the first year.

An initial Rs150 million has been allocated for essential machinery and equipment for 2024-25, with another Rs150 million for 2025-26. Additionally, Rs100 million has been designated for the renovation of 23 wards.

For seven other health facilities in District Thatta — the Taluka Headquarter (THQ) Hospital Sakro, the THQ Hospital Gharo, the Rural Health Centre (RHC) Jung Shahi, the RHC Var, the RHC Jherruk, the RHC Keti Bandar and the RHC Bhagan — the budget has been increased from Rs557.1 million to Rs612.8 million.

The cabinet also approved the transfer of 274 government dispensaries (GDs) to the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) in accordance with the yearly phasing, along with the operational costs budgeted in the PC-1 for 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27.