ISLAMABAD: The board exams for 9th and 10th grade would be held after July 10 only for elective subjects and mathematics, while exams for students of classes 11 and 12 would be held for elective subjects only, said the Minister for Education, Shafqat Mahmood, on Wednesday.

He, while addressing a press conference, said the decision has been taken, while keeping the different streams of students who will take exams related to their particular subjects.

He further said the provincial Education ministers wanted exam results to be finalised and released by the third week of September.

Acknowledging students’ grievances regarding their course work being incomplete, Mahmood said this was a result of the frequent closure and reopening of schools

while adding that it was necessary to shut schools in view of the Covid-19 situation.

He further assured that no student will be promoted without examination.

He said the syllabus has been reduced by 40 percent, while adding that the overall curriculum and nature of assessments had been modified keeping the challenges in mind.

“The 9th grade and 10th grade exams will be taken in elective subjects, and mathematics will also be a part of it. Therefore, exams will be held in four subjects," he said, while the exams of 11th and 12th grades will be held only in elective subjects.

The minister said the exams of elective subjects will be conducted as students aspiring to opt for a selected field could be assessed on the basis of their elective subjects.

The federal minister further said that the exams will start after July 10 in order to give students at least three to four weeks to prepare.

Mahmood, while speaking about the mode of assessment, said that the committee was of the belief that an external examination was the fairest assessment.

“In England, parents are dissatisfied with assessed grades and are challenging them in court, but they have no reservation on external exams," he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021