Sindh approves 2021-22 academic calender
As the Sindh education department's steering committee went ahead with approving the academic calendar for the year 2021-22 on Saturday, it agreed to change the pattern and duration of annual examinations for grades one to 12. Besides, the committee decided to curtail summer and winter breaks.
The decisions were taken during a meeting of the steering commitee, presided over by Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani, where the participants agreed on August 2, 2021 as the date for starting the academic session 2021-22.
Exam schedule
It was decided during the meeting that matric examinations would be held in the province from July 2, 2021, while July 28, 2021 was fixed for the commencement of intermediate examinations.
September 15, 2021 has been fixed for the release of matric results, and October 15, 2021 for the issuance of intermediate results.
As for classes grade one to grade eight, annual exams will held be from June 7, 2021. The results for these exams will be announced on June 26, 2021.
NUML goes for online examinations
Later, addressing a press conference, Ghani said the dates for matric exams- from July 1, 2021 to July 15, 2022- had been decided keeping in mind that students would have completed at least 60 per cent syllabus by then.
With regards to intermediate exams, Ghani said they would extend from July 28, 2021 to August 16, 2021 so that students could apply for admissions to universities on time.
He said practical exams were scheduled in June.
Exam pattern
According to the decision taken by the meeting, duration for each matric and inter exam will be two hours.
Half the questions in each paper will be multiple choice questions and of the remaining 50 per cent, 30 per cent will comprise short questions, while the weightage of long questions will be 30 per cent.
Besides, the meeting, on the recommendation of the chairpersons of education boards, decided to make practical exams mandatory for matric and intermediate students.
These exams will be scheduled prior to theory exams.
In this regard, the boards' chairpersons pointed out that practical examinations weren't conducted last year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and if they weren't held this year as well, it would result in an education gap, particularly for those aspiring to take admissions in universities in the coming year.
Vacations
It was also decided during the meeting that summer break would be shortened to one month this year, with students of grades one to eight at all private and government schools getting the vacation in only July. The meeting cut short the winter break to eight days, starting from December 25, 2021 and ending on January 1, 2022.
Separately, Ghani announced during the press conference that the steering committee's recommendations and the minutes of the steering committee's meeting held on Saturday (yesterday) would be sent to universities with the request to delay admissions until October 15, 2021.
Replying to a question, he said the matter of measures against cheating during exams would be discussed at the next meeting of the steering committee.
Cases in educational institutes
Ghani said a report issued on Friday night revealed that 13,709 samples collected from colleges in the province had been tested and 233 of them were found infected. He said the results of 12,302 samples had been released, and those of the rest of the samples were awaited.
Besides, he added, the report stated that 9,124 samples had been collected from schools and 3,206 of them had tested positive. He said the results of 5,587 samples collected from schools had been released and those of the rest were yet to be issued.
WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2021.