We all know that Eidul Fitr marks the end of Ramazan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. We also know that Eid is a time of private visits, when friends greet one another, presents are given, new clothes are worn, and the graves of relatives are visited.

However, a very large number of students — girls and boys — spent all the three days of Eid at home, preparing themselves for O level examinations that began yesterday or on the fourth day of Eid. According to a leading English-language newspaper report carried by it yesterday, “more than 100,000 students in Pakistan will be sitting for exams in over 100 subjects in Cambridge O level, IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level qualifications”.

Their exams have required them to spend most of their time with books, skipping picnics and other outings, long drives or dinners altogether. Scheduling exams by the Cambridge International very soon after the Eid holidays is a decision that has robbed them of the revelry that is normally associated with Eid. It’s a kind of cruelty, to say the least. Let’s hope that the Cambridge International wouldn’t repeat this mistake by taking into account the significance or importance of Eid. The organisaiton or entity must not lose sight of the fact that the spectre of ‘Eid exams’ has quashed the holiday spirit.

Shahid Wathra (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023