Students of grades I to XII to be promoted without taking exams

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said on Sunday that this year all students of grades I to XII will be promoted to the next grades without taking their examinations, and those who have been failing their classes will also be given passing marks and promoted to the next grades.

Ghani said that there will be no special exams this year, and students who want to improve any of their subjects will be provided with the opportunity to take exams next year.

“We have not stopped private educational institutions from reopening on Monday [June 1] if they want, but we have stopped the teaching process, so no school can start teaching without the permission of the government.”

Addressing a news conference at his office with the chief minister’s adviser Rashid Rabbani, the education minister said the provincial government had already announced promoting students of grades I to VIII to the next grades due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the same decision was later taken to promote students of grades IX to XII to the next grades. A sub-committee of the steering committee of the education department was constituted to clarify the matter, he added.

Ghani said that this committee has made its recommendations after two to three meetings, and another meeting of the committee will be convened in the next two days.

“According to the recommendations, since we have no record of the ninth and 11th graders, they will be promoted to the next grades without any marks, and when these students take their 10th and 12th grade examinations, the marks obtained in those will be considered as marks for the ninth and 11th grade exams as well.”

He said students of grades X and XII will be promoted to the next grades based on their results of grades IX and XI, while three per cent extra marks will be added to the marks obtained by them.

He added that students who have been failing their classes will be given passing marks, while no special examination will be held this year, so those who want to improve their marks will also be promoted but given the opportunity to get their grades up next year.

Regarding the announcement of private educational institutions’ associations about the reopening of schools on June 15, the minister said the government has not yet declared the date of reopening schools, as the decision will be taken after reviewing the situation and formulating the education policy in the steering committee’s meeting. “In the current situation, I don’t think any parent would send their children to school.”