Chairman of National Education Foundation (NEC) Nazar Hussain has out-rightly rejected the holding of fifth grade assessment examination through the education boards, and demanded that the test should be made optional, instead of compulsory, to immediately sort-out the solution of the issue.
He was accompanied by NEC Deputy Chairman from various agencies of Fata, Murtaza Hussain, Syed Javed Shah, Alam Khan, Amir Khan Dawar, Hamayun Khan, Gul Wali Khan, and All Private Schools Association President Shahid Wali Khattak.
Nazar Hussain, while addressing a news conference at press club here on Monday, said that the conduct of fifth grade assessment test was contrary to the relevant clause of the provincial education secondary boards Act of 1995.
According to clause no-10 of the Act, he added that no secondary and intermediate education board, except Grade-9 and Grade-10 examinations, was authorised to conduct such test. Under the rules, he further maintained the education boards had restricted to not hold examination of children below age of 15 years.
Hussain went on to say that private schools owners associations had attempted to sort-out the solution of that issue through negotiations with authorities concerned, and put forward some recommendations in that regard.