First-year intermediate students to get 15pc grace marks, says notification

KARACHI:

Students of Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) class-XI, who failed to clear the examinations in 2023, will be allotted 15pc grace marks to clear the examination, according to a notification issued by the provincial government of Sindh. 

The decision was taken after the fact-finding committee, constituted on the instructions of interim chief minister Justice (retd) Baqir, submitted its report. 

The provincial chief executive has approved the recommendations presented by the head of the fact-finding committee, VC NED Dr Sarosh Lodhi.

The 15pc additional marks will be given to students of pre-engineering, pre-medical and general science. The subject-wide breakdown of grace marks is as follows: 15 marks in mathematics, 12 marks in physics and statistics. 12 in Chemistry, 6 in botany and 6 in zoology.

The fate of thousands of students hung in the balance after the announcement of the allegedly disputed results. Over the past two weeks, students and parents have taken to the streets in protest after a majority of students failed in the BIEK's first-year results. The top officials in Sindh seem to be at odds over the contentious results.

Governor Kamran Tessori expressed his concern over the issue, stating, that it is alarming that 64% of Karachi's students have failed in intermediate first-year exams. He argued that the negative impact would spread even if the results were corrected.

The results revealed that 80% of candidates failed in Inter Arts Group first year (regular), 72% of candidates failed in Inter Arts Group first year (private), and 63% of candidates failed in commerce first year (private).