Board exams after July 10 for electives

ISLAMABAD: Announcing a relief for students amid complaints of the pandemic-induced learning losses, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the 9th and 10th grade board exams would be held for mathematics and elective subjects, including biology, computer science, physics and chemistry, only.

He, however, said 11th and 12th graders would take board exams for elective subjects. “No one will be promoted without taking exams and if we do not hold exams, the students won’t even employ minimum efforts to study,” he told a presser Wednesday here following a meeting of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC).

The minister said relaxation in exams had been provided to students over complaints of learning losses due to the pandemic-induced prolonged school closures.

“This elective exam decision will provide relief to the students eying specific fields,” he added. In April, the education ministry had cancelled all exams in the country till June 15. The only exception was granted to A2 students, who wanted to appear for the purpose of applying to foreign universities.

The minister during the press conference said exams for 10th and 12th grades would be held after July 10, while 9th and 11th grade examination would follow. He said educational boards had indicated that all exam results would be out by the third week of September to help students secure admissions to universities.

Shafqat Mahmood said in-person learning of 10th and 12th graders had resumed on May 31, while the classes of ninth and 11th grades would begin soon. He said boards were preparing to conduct exams from June 24.

“Now, we have asked them (boards) to begin examinations after July 10. This gap in exams will facilitate students,” he said. The minister said the government had decided to close schools to stem the spread of coronavirus and even the syllabus was curtailed by 40 percent.

He said the overall curriculum and nature of assessments had been modified considering the challenges. Shafqat Mahmood said no one was allowed to invigilate exams without being vaccinated against coronavirus, so the government had prioritised the teachers’ inoculation.

In a tweet later, he said the ‘marks percentage of students in elective subjects’ would also be proportionately allocated to subjects in which exams were not being taken.

The minister also said the exams would start after July 10 in order to give students at least three to four weeks to prepare. He also announced that all universities were allowed to resume classes next Monday.