Matriculation exams in Karachi postponed for this week amid heatwave alert

BSEK puts off exams from May 21 to May 27, says revised dates to be announced soon

KARACHI:

The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) postponed on Monday matriculation exams from May 21 to May 27 following a heatwave alert issued for Sindh.

The notification issued a day earlier by the board stated that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned of a hot weather system to hit the province next week.

It further noted that in light of the weather alert, annual examinations of classes 9th and 10th Science and General group, regular and private, scheduled from May 21 to May 27 have been postponed.

However, examinations for May 28 will be taken as scheduled, Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ali Malkani maintained in a notification.

The BSEK will announce dates for the postponed papers later, the notification stated.

A day earlier, the Sindh government postponed annual intermediate examinations due to concerns over the predicted heatwave.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast that a severe heatwave could hit the major cities and plain areas of Punjab and Sindh from May 21 to May 27.

Read Metropolis in grip of heat wave

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved a five-day delay following a recommendation from the minister for universities.

In response to the CM’s directive, a notification was issued confirming the change of dates.

According to the PMD, a high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere will lead to heatwave-like conditions in most parts of the country, especially in Punjab and Sindh, from May 21.

The situation is expected to intensify from May 23 - May 27, with temperatures likely to remain 6-8 degrees Celsius above normal in these regions.

In Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan, day temperatures are expected to remain 4-6 degrees Celsius above normal from May 21-27.