Exams of 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th to take place come what may: Shafqat

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on Wednesday said exams of classes ninth, matric, first, and second-year would take place across the country after July 10, “come what may”.

The minister, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly during the budget session, said several problems arose last year when the government had decided not to conduct exams. “But now, we have decided that no grades will be awarded without exams,” the education minister said. It is “unfortunate” that some called for no exams even now in parliament, he said.

Mehmood said Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and all the other provinces had unanimously decided to conduct examinations. Mehmood said the government was forced to shut down schools due to the coronavirus, but switched to an alternative method and introduced an online schooling system. “We have decided to integrate all education institutions via a digital system,” he said.