Plea against O & A Levels exams dismissed

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court on Friday dismissed a petition by the students of O & A level challenging the conduct of examinations with their physical presence in exam halls during the growing cases of Covid-19.

Justice Jawad Hassan directed the education authorities to ensure strict implementation of Covid-19 SOPs announced by the National Command & Operations Centre (NCOC) in the examinations. The examinations would be held as per the schedule from May 4 for O levels and April 26 for A levels. The students had filed the petition through Barrister Hassaan Khan Niazi pleading that the classes had not been held for the whole academic year and syllabus had not been finished or even covered for the most part yet the petitioners were forced to take exams in a traditional way putting their lives and the lives of their family members in danger.

They said the respondents announced conduct of the exams with the physical presence of the students by putting them in examination halls and rooms. However, they said, Cambridge had given two options to the respective governments of the countries experiencing the rising numbers of Covid-19 to switch to avail school assessed grades.

The petitioners contended that the education ministry and other local authorities were in full control and in a position to prevent the massive risk to the health and life of the petitioners and had the authority to request Cambridge for school assessed grades.

They had requested the court to direct the government to request British Council and Cambridge to switch from the current exam directions to the school assessed grades option and not to make the petitioners go into the exam halls to take the exams.