FDE changes passing marks criteria for promotion to next class

Students will also be required to maintain over 75% attendance under new policy

ISLAMABAD: Even though the government had teased moving to a regime where all students will be promoted to the next class regardless of marks, it seems to have reverted to the old system where students are required to meet a minimum marks obtained criteria to secure passage to the next grade or to repeat the class should they fail to do so.

In a new policy introduced by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) students will be required to secure an overall grade of at least 40 per cent marks apart from maintaining at least 75 per cent attendance to secure promotion to the next grade at the end of the academic year.

Sources say the FDE has issued a notification to this effect for students in the 423 schools and colleges of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

The notification further stipulates that the promotion of a student from one class to the next can be blocked should they fail in more than two subjects in a single academic year.

This will apply to students studying in grades one through nine.

However, those students, who failed in only two subjects will be allowed to sit in the next class in the new academic year but they must have achieved at least 40 per cent marks overall.

FDE has also divided subjects from grades five to nine into two categories, the sources said.

In category-I, if a student failed in any subject along with English, they will have to secure a minimum of 40 per cent marks overall or more to secure promotion to the next class.

For subjects in Category-II, students must obtain at least 25 per cent marks in the subjects in which they failed to secure promotion to the next class.

They added that this policy will be implemented in the current session.

Heads of government-run educational institutions in ICT and the Area Education Officers (AEO) of the federal capital have been notified in this regard.  

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2020.