Sindh boards drag feet on new grading system

Other provinces have already done spadework to gradually introduce the new system

KARACHI:

Despite the nationwide approval of a new grading policy for matric and intermediate levels, its implementation in Sindh is facing difficulties due to the apparent lack of interest from relevant authorities, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The grading policy, modeled after the O and A-Levels of Cambridge Assessment International Education, is set to be gradually introduced for the assessment of the 2024 matric and inter annual examinations nationwide. However, no preparations have been initiated in the education boards of Sindh for the implementation of this policy.

This delay may result in students in Sindh lagging behind their peers in the other provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, who are expected to receive results under the new grading policy.

Recognising this situation, the Federal Ministry of Education formally wrote a letter to the Department of Universities and Boards of the Government of Sindh on March 6. The letter stresses the need for a decisive implementation of the new grading system, ensuring uniformity with passing marks set at 40 in all educational boards.

This directive aligns with the decision approved by the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC), an organisation of chairmen of education boards nationwide, in November 2022. The implementation of this decision was further approved at the Interprovincial Education Ministers' Conference held on December 22, 2023.

The Express Tribune contacted Universities and Boards Secretary Noor Samu for comments, but no response was received.

Notably, the phased application of the new policy is scheduled to commence with the examinations and results of classes IX and XI. Under this policy, passing marks for subjects will increase from 33 to 40, and students achieving at least 40 marks will be considered successful. The grading system will transition to Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) over three years, with only grades being reflected on the students' mark sheets.

While education boards in the other three provinces have begun preparations for implementing the new grading system, there is no apparent readiness in Sindh. The Ziauddin Board, operating on a private basis in Sindh, has issued a notification for the implementation of the 2024 annual examinations in alignment with the IBCC's decision, applying a new grading system based on Grade Point Average (GPA) for matriculation and intermediate exams this year. However, government education boards in Sindh seem unprepared for this change.

"No board in Sindh has a permanent controller of examinations, nor is the board secretary working permanently. The boards suffer from ad-hocism at its worst, making it seemingly impossible to implement a decision of such magnitude, which also requires the training of assessment teachers," a board chairman informed The Express Tribune while speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"There has been no progress in this regard from the officials of the Department of Universities and Boards. Boards alone cannot make such a significant decision," he added.

It is crucial to note that if government education boards in Sindh do not catch up with the implementation of this new grading policy, it could negatively impact hundreds of thousands of matric and inter students in the province. Two years later, when graduates from other provinces apply for university admissions, their results will include GPA under the new grading policy, requiring a minimum of 40 passing marks. Meanwhile, students from Sindh will still adhere to the old system, passing papers with at least 33 marks.

This discrepancy extends beyond university admissions, as inter students from the Ziauddin Education Board in Sindh, operating on a private basis, will graduate under the new grading policy, unlike their peers in government education boards in the province. This could lead to a situation where Sindh's students have two types of marksheets, causing confusion and potentially affecting their academic and professional pursuits.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2024.