Missing in action: With exams around the corner, dept yet to set academic calendar

The education department is supposed to decide the schedule before preceding year ends.

KARACHI:

The provincial education department has failed to set the academic calendar for schools and colleges in Sindh for the current year, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Those responsible for the task seem to be least bothered as they are away on ‘official’ trips. The department is expected to convene a meeting of its steering committee, comprising public and private stakeholders in the provincial education sector, before the conclusion of each academic year. The issues up for debate include academic policies, commencement of the academic session, the timetable of admissions, announcement of exams and results, as well as public holidays and dates for the summer and winter vacations.

The education minister presides over the meeting, which is considered crucial in bringing uniformity in the academic calendar across private and public education boards.



Last year, the former education minister, Pir Mazharul Haq, had lamented the delays in arranging the meeting - when he was chairing the steering committee meeting on January 11, 2013. Haq had also announced that the meeting will be held twice a year. “A 12-month period between the meetings is too long. Many important matters come up in the middle of the year so it is better that the stakeholders sit together twice a year,” said Haq.

The education department has not only failed to follow up on its own decision on holding the meeting twice a year, but has also not come up with a date for the first meeting for the current year.

Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro left for London on Sunday on a three-day official visit to attend the Education World Forum 2014, which is a global summit for education ministers from across the world to discuss the ‘holistic education strategies and reforms for digital access’.

On the other hand, the provincial chief education secretary, Dr Fazlullah Pechuho, was unable to give an exact date for the steering committee meeting when approached by The Express Tribune. He said, however, that it was expected to be held by the end of this month. His subordinate, the education additional secretary, Rehan Baloch, brushed the issue off, claiming the schedule was not an issue as both Khuhro and Pechuho were out of the country at the moment.

Over the last few years, there has been confusion regarding the dates for summer vacations. Some schools shut down during June and July while others announced vacations during July and August. Those members of the steering committee, representing private schools affiliated with the Cambridge International Examinations, insisted on holding the meeting earlier because they had to align their admissions process and academic activities with the timeframe for O’ and A’ Levels examinations.

This year, with the Matriculation and Intermediate boards’ examinations expected to be held within the next three months, the delay in deciding the exam timetable is likely to overburden the officials at the education boards, pointed out Anwar Ahmed Zai, the chairperson of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2014.