SHC seeks proposal to end delay in announcements of exam results

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the universities and boards secretary to consult all the stakeholders and submit a viable plan which could control the unwarranted delay in the announcement of annual examination results of boards and universities.

The direction came on a petition of Nazir Ahmed Dhoon who had approached the SHC against the delay in the announcement of annual examination results of matriculation, intermediate, and bachelors and masters programmes by the respective boards and universities of the province.

The petitioner had submitted that 300,000 to 350,000 students suffered every year due to the delay in the announcement of the results by the universities and boards as they could not apply to other boards and universities of the province for admissions which are normally closed prior to the announcement of the results.

Dhoon submitted that it was mandatory for every board and university to announce results of their annual examinations within 120 days so that students could apply to other boards and universities for admissions if they wanted to pursue higher studies.

The petitioner maintained that for the students who could not succeed in the annual examinations, the boards and universities were not making efforts to conduct early supplementary examinations which could save their academic year. Due to the six-to-eight-month delay in the announcement of the results, the students lost one precious year, he said.

The high court was requested to direct the respondents to announce the results of the matriculation, intermediate, graduation and post-graduation examinations within four months and conduct supplementary examinations regularly to save academic years of students. Universities and Boards Secretary Alia Shahid appeared before the court and admitted that some positive action was required to resolve the delay in the announcement of the results.

A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the secretary to consult all the stakeholders and concerned officials of the universities and come up with a viable proposal so that the delay in the announcement of the results could be controlled. The secretary was told by the SHC to submit comments by January 24.