K-P education boards mull deferring middle school exams

Suggest postponing exams until other provinces also adopt the measure

PESHAWAR: The main body regulating and organising exams at the school level on Friday indicated a desire to postpone the annual middle-school board exams. The decision is expected to be communicated to the provincial government and a formal announcement in this regard is expected next week.

A source in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) education department told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity since he was not allowed to official speak on the matter, that during a meeting of chairmen from all provincial examination boards at the Peshawar Education Board on Friday, the annual middle school exams were discussed.

The meeting reviewed the status of the exams and a decision made during the All-Provincial Ministers Conference in April 2019, regarding the implementation of a uniform system of education in all provinces under the new federal education policy.

Participants were told that private school owners have approached the court against the decision. However, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) allowed the provincial government to conduct the exams for middle schools (grade five and eight) under the annual middle examination board, he said

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The official added that following a unified decision by the board, the respective academic boards started preparing for the exams and had even started the process of registering students studying in middle classes.

However, during the meeting, chairman of all the boards on Friday, it was unanimously decided to recommend that the provincial government postpone the annual middle school board exams.

The decision received support from the provincial government, as Adviser to the K-P Chief Minister on Education Ziaullah Bangash was attending Friday’s meeting, the official added.

Chairmen of an educational board said that the provincial government will be recommended that middle school annual board exams should be held in the province if the other provinces also administer the exams otherwise the exams should be postponed.

A meeting in this regard is expected to be held with the K-P Education secretary Monday, November 18, in which the secretary of the Board of Directors will formally announce the decision of the board.

Subsequently, the recommendations are expected to be formally presented to the K-P Assembly Standing Committee on Education. The official added that the parliamentary committee has already expressed its reservations on holding the board exams for eighth-graders.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2019.