Incomplete grade 8 results spark confusion

Girls sweep top spots; technical glitches leave many students unable to access results

RAWALPINDI:

After a prolonged delay, the Punjab Education Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) has released incomplete results of the annual Class 8 board examinations across the province.

Girls secured all top three positions province-wide, with a pass rate of 92%, compared to 83% among boys. A total of 782,383 candidates passed, while 110,892 failed.

The examinations covered only four subjects—Urdu, English, Mathematics and Science—with a total of 400 marks. Around 894,000 candidates appeared in the exams.

Of these, 782,400 students (approximately 88%) scored above 33%, while 110,900 (around 12%) obtained less than the minimum threshold.

Among the top performers, Iqra Bakhshan of Mianwali and Rumaisa Iman of Attock jointly secured first position with 358 marks. Fatima Batool of Bahawalpur stood second with 353 marks, while Hadia Ahmed secured third position with 350 marks.

While the results reflect overall student performance, they also indicate scope for improvement in educational standards.

The PECTAA website remained inaccessible until late evening, and schools were closed early, leaving students and parents struggling to obtain results. Many turned to private internet cafés, paying between Rs100 and Rs300 to access partial results online.

Leaders of teachers' organisations, including Basharat Iqbal Raja, Akhiyan Gul and Shafiq Bhalwalia, said that complete results would be available today (Friday).

More than 60% of students were unable to access their results by evening due to technical issues.

Headmasters clarified that these results cover only four subjects, and marks from school-based assessments in the same subjects are yet to be added.

Teachers' representatives also expressed concern that a significant proportion of the 110,000 students who failed may drop out of school.

It is noteworthy that the Class 8 board examination had been discontinued five years ago due to poor outcomes but has now been reinstated. Following resistance and boycott announcements, the private school sector was exempted from this exercise, with only public school students participating this year.