Testing times

For months now, students and the government have been at loggerheads over the holding of exams for the secondary and higher secondary school certifications. Despite several protests, the students have failed to convince the government to cancel the upcoming board exams or at least push them back until August with a reduced course load. Just the other day, a students’ rally outside the HEC head-office in Islamabad was charged down by a posse of baton-wielding uniformed officers. The use of force did disperse the protesting youth, but failed to deter them from their demands. The conflict thus stands unresolved.

With the Covid-19 pandemic subsiding and the vaccination drive getting underway, the government decided to let the students earn their rite of passage into the next grade by taking exams — whether physically or in any other form. Students, however, insist that the syllabus has not been covered adequately. They are not comfortable either with the idea of sitting physical exams in view of the reigning pandemic. Online exams may be a solution, but the students believe the idea has yet to fully mature in Pakistan which fares the worst in the region for internet access. Many a teacher too has reservations over this method.

However, the government is intent on pushing ahead with its plans of holding exams, turning a blind eye to some genuine concerns raised by students. One is justified to ask here as to why we have not been able to reimagine the relatively new construct of modern examinations when we reimagined our entire lives during the pandemic. The past year has been a missed opportunity in terms of how we evaluate the knowledge and intellectual progression of students. But for now, the government must listen to truly representative voices of all stakeholders to come up with comprehensive solutions while avoiding any further violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2021.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.