IBCC initiates educational reforms, introduces grace marks for students

Commission also decides to shift from open-choice exam format to close-choice format, offering 100% options

KARACHI:

The Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) has embarked on an educational reform initiative, announcing the decision to grant grace marks to students in exams. The commission also recommended that all educational boards across Pakistan standardise the process of fair and uniform examination assessments in the coming days.

During a press conference at the IBCC office in Karachi on Tuesday, Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah stated, “We are working on reforms. A meeting was held in Skardu where we presented recommendations, which will soon be approved and implemented.”

He mentioned that a sub-committee meeting at the Karachi Secondary Education Board deliberated for two days, concluding that all educational boards in the country would now be required to provide seven passing marks. The passing marks will be increased from 33 to 40 for the next academic year.

The commission also decided to shift from an open-choice exam format to a close-choice format, offering 100% options. For instance, if there are seven questions, students will have the choice of 14 questions. Dr Mallah explained, “Students tend to solve easier, memory-based questions, which is unfair to those who attempt more challenging ones. We are not eliminating options but rather expanding them with a close-choice format, ensuring each question has two options, all knowledge-based.”

He further emphasised that the aim is to sharpen students' academic skills, encouraging them to use their minds rather than relying on memory. “We will provide technology-based solutions to students,” he added.

Dr Mallah also highlighted a proposal to address discrepancies in course marks for students transferring between boards. “If there’s a difference in marks for a course when a student migrates from one board to another, we’re considering resolving it by giving average marks,” he said.

Regarding the subject of Quranic Studies, he noted that in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, it is taught as an additional subject in Matric and Intermediate, raising the total marks from 1100 to 1200. However, in Federal Board, Balochistan, and Sindh, the total remains 1100, with Karachi not offering Quranic Studies as a separate subject. To ensure uniformity, students moving from Karachi to Punjab will be given average marks.

The meeting also discussed the new grading system and the implications of introducing grace marks. Discussions extended to SSC and HSSC levels, focusing on the examination papers of Islamic Studies and Pakistan Studies. Dr Mallah mentioned that there are 29 examination boards in Pakistan, each with varying assessment standards. The IBCC is collaborating with stakeholders to establish a National Assessment Framework.

The recommendations have been sent to all educational board heads, and these proposals will be presented for approval in the next meeting, likely to be implemented by December this year.

The meeting also addressed key issues related to the examination system, student assessment, board migration policies, and national assessment standards.

Dr Mallah stated that the sub-committee’s recommendations would be reviewed and approved at the upcoming IBCC forum meeting.

He also highlighted the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IBCC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), aimed at promoting cricket in schools and colleges, fostering young talent at the grassroots level, and making educational institutions key nurseries for future cricket stars.