Board exams after June 20, fewer summer holidays than usual

Islamabad: The education ministers met on Monday via video link and decided that the board examinations for 10 and 12 grades would be held across the country after June 20 with the provinces and regions finalising their dates by themselves.

They also agreed that the students won’t be promoted to the next classes without passing exams and that there would be fewer summer vacation than usual. The decisions come as the educational institutions resumed in-person learning in districts with less than five per cent coronavirus positivity rate.

The in-person academic activities in major cities stand suspended due to high COVID-19 incidence. Federal education minister Shafqat Mahmood chaired the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference, which he called to finalise the schedules of board exams and summer vacation and the reopening of the remaining educational institutions in light of the current coronavirus incidence.

Education ministers and senior officials of all provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan attended the meeting. The participants unanimously decided that exams would be held for all classes anyway and that initially, 10 and 12 grade board exams would be held in the third week of June in strict compliance with the government’s anti-coronavirus standard operating procedures, while the other exams would take place later.

The provinces and regions will decide about the exam schedules by themselves. The ministers also said in case of delay in exam results, the universities would admit candidates on the production of provisional certificates.

They agreed on fewer summer holidays than usual and said the provinces and regions would decide about the duration by themselves. According to them, it will be mandatory for the examination and invigilation staff to get vaccinated against coronavirus ahead of the board exams and the federal education ministry will approach the National Command and Operation Centre to ensure their and teachers’ speedy vaccination.

Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the teachers without COVID-19 vaccination certificate won’t be called for invigilation. He said the participants also discussed the transfer of the staff of the Basic Education Community Schools and National Commission for Human Development schools to the provinces after June 31, 2021, and decided that the provinces would issue notifications for the purpose without delay. The minister said the framework of the single national curriculum was shared with the participants, who approved it in principle.