35 APS students scrape through board exams

Had failed science practical but were passed by FBISE

PESHAWAR: At least 35 survivors of the Army Public School massacre passed their science practical after a decision taken by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Islamabad on Sunday. Initial results showed they had failed.

Talking to The Express Tribune, APS Shuhada Ghazi Forum Chief Executive Qasir Ali said on March 8, 2015, a meeting of the FBISE was held in Islamabad at which the APS principal and parents of students were present. In the meeting, FBISE Chairman Dr Ikram Ali Malik ensured APS students would be given extra marks in their examination.

The Shuhada chief executive said the survivors, including some injured students, appeared in the SSC examination held on March 20. However, in spite of the extra marks, 35 of them failed the science practical.

Qasir demanded the FBISE pass students as promised to their parents. He said if the board failed to ‘pass’ the students by Wednesday, parents and the pupils themselves would protest in the front of the FBISE office. They vowed to hold a sit-in till their demands were met.

However, the FBISE issued a notification on Sunday through which all the APS students were passed in their papers as well as the practical.

Ali shared 23 students were still under treatment at different hospitals in Lahore and Karachi, while two or three would be sent abroad as their condition was worse.

Post trauma stress

Earlier in March, APS students in Karachi for treatment had voiced their concerns about taking exams later the same month. Aga Khan Hospital University (AKUH) had issued a letter stating, “Appearing for board exams in the near future will be extremely stressful for them and may even be detrimental to their coping and long-term recovery.”

At the time, APS 10th grader Maaz Irfan was under treatment in Karachi for his right hand and arm, and was unsure about how he would take his exams in Peshawar.

However, APS exam cell in charge Waqarullah Khattak had disagreed with the recommendations of AKUH and said the students are “quite capable” of appearing for the exams. “SSC exams are scheduled to begin from March while FSc exams are expected to start in April,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2015.