Since the lockdown has been implemented and all commercial and educational activity coming to a halt, there was uncertainty on when the papers of Metric and Inter will be taking place as they got postponed from originally taking place this April.
The Ministry of Education has convened an important meeting of the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) via video link on Monday (today) to clear the air regarding the confusion surrounding the cancellation of examinations of students of matriculation and intermediate by the federal government.
Previously a notification released by The Education Department stated that, Matriculation examinations in Sindh will start from June 15 whereas the higher secondary school exams will start from July 6.
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But now again the committee is sitting down to discuss different options to discuss multiple plans in the event of how the country reacts due to the pandemic outbreak and the rising cases.
The IBC committee is entertaining four different options for finalizing matric and inter exam plan.
Plan A
The first option is to take online exams. Only a group of few students will be called on exam centers on a different time interval. All questions will be MCQs based, and no subjective paper will be taken. This will limit human contact at the most, keeping safe the students and faculties.
Plan B
The second option is to increase the number of exam centers, where the seating plan of the students is to be adjusted by adding a distance of 6 feet between the two students.
Plan C
The third option as a Plan C is to conduct MCQs based exam only at all the exam centers, limiting the time spent by the students in one area.
Plan D
The last option as a plan D is to promote class 9 and class 10 and to conduct the exams of class 12 in July.
In April with Covid-19 cases in Pakistan showing no signs of letting go, authorities were discussing plans without reaching a final decision. “Having held informal discussions, most board chairpersons agree that the uncertainty arising from the coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns has made it very difficult to hold exams in June,” Aga Khan Board of Education Chairperson Dr Shehzad Jeeva told The Express Tribune.
It was attended by the chairmen of Sindh Technical Board, Board of Intermediate Education Karachi, Matriculation Board Karachi and Board of Matriculation and Intermediate Education Hyderabad while Board of Matriculation and Intermediate Education Sukkur, Larkana and chairmen of Mirpur Khas attended the meeting online.
But despite all these meetings, a national consensus has not been achieved, another meeting of the Federal IBCC has was reconvened on May 4 in which efforts were made to reach a joint decision in consultation with the boards of all provinces but to no use.
Now according to the sources, the results of each board for the last three years would be reviewed and the candidates would be promoted according to the proportion of their marks.
The education ministry officials said, “If Class X examinations are not held, marks will be given equivalent to that which the students obtained in Class IX exams, while a policy would be formulated to increase the marks.”
With different provinces, boards, governments and ministries not reaching a decision, is costing much confusion amongst the students who do not know what action to take in these uncertain circumstances and how to proceed forward.
