Education divide

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Recent results from the NED University aptitude test have laid bare the academic inequalities that exist within Sindh. While Karachi-based students, particularly those from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi, performed relatively well — with only 23.4% failing — the majority of students from boards outside Karachi struggled to clear the test. The failure rate for these boards exceeded 54%, despite the fact that most candidates were high-achieving A-graders in their intermediate examinations.

This glaring disparity is an indication of a deep-rooted educational divide between urban centres and the rest of the province. Karachi's students often benefit from access to well-resourced colleges and private tuition centres. In contrast, students from interior Sindh face poor teaching standards and limited facilities. Moreover, their long travel to the test centres in Karachi not only adds stress and fatigue but also symbolises the broader structural disadvantages they endure.

Even more troubling is what the results suggest about the credibility of the grading systems in different educational boards. If students scoring top marks in their intermediate exams fail to pass a university entrance test, it raises questions about the standards of assessment and the authenticity of those grades. Are students truly being taught, or merely passed through the system? This is a policy failure that needs urgent attention. Provincial education authorities must recognise that the current system is breeding inequality.

Reform should begin with revised evaluation systems across all boards to ensure academic rigour and comparability. Investment must also be directed toward improving school infrastructure and curriculum quality in rural and peri-urban districts.

A truly inclusive higher education system cannot be built on such uneven foundations. Without meaningful reforms, the education divide will continue to rob thousands of students of their potential simply because of where they were born.