Punjab's Grade 8 board exam policy unveiled

PECTAA to conduct exams, private schools excluded from the system

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) has issued guidelines for the reintroduction of Grade 8 board examinations across the province.

This year, the annual Grade 8 board exams will be conducted by PECTAA, replacing the Punjab Examination Authority, which previously conducted board exams for Grades 5 and 8.

The Grade 8 board examinations were discontinued five years ago and are now being reintroduced.

However, Grade 5 has not been included in the board examination system this time.

Additionally, private schools have been exempted from the Grade 8 board exams after all major private school organisations categorically refused to include their students in the Grade 5 and 8 board examination framework.

As a result, only students from government schools will appear in these exams.

The Grade 8 board examinations will be conducted in four subjects: Urdu, English, Mathematics, and Social Studies. The exams are expected to commence from March 3.

According to the policy issued by PECTAA, separate examination centres will be designated for male and female students. The distance between a school and its affiliated examination centre must not exceed eight kilometres.

Crackdown on schools defying winter break

A rigorous crackdown has been initiated against private schools violating the Punjab government's official winter vacation notification.

The Rawalpindi District Education Authority (DEA) CEO has issued strict instructions to all private educational institutions across the district to ensure full and immediate compliance with the government notification regarding winter vacations.

The winter vacations for all public and private educational institutions in Punjab were announced from December 22, 2025, to Saturday, January 10, 2026. However, reports were received of schools violating the orders by restarting classes earlier.