Centre unveils exams policy in backdrop of Covid-19.

Byline: Kashif Abbasi

ISLAMABAD -- Almost a week after the National Coordination Committee's decision to cancel all the board examinations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Thursday announced the examination and promotion policy, aimed at ending restlessness among students.

The minister revealed the policy at a press conference he addressed after attending an online Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC).

The policy, titled 'IBCC Promotion Guideline for Matric and Intermediate students', was prepared by the Inter Board Committee Chairmen (IBCC) and Federal Education Ministry after consultation with 29 educational boards, which was approved by the IPEMC.

According to the policy, all students of grades 10 and 12, who had cleared all the subjects in their 9th and 11th class exams, will be declared passed on the basis of their previous results. These students will also be given three per cent additional marks to their total, as statistic revealed that students always get more scores in 10th and 12th grade when compared to 9th and 11th classes.

Students of 9th and 11th classes promoted; candidates of 10th, 12th grades to be declared passed on basis of previous exams

The minister said the policy dealt with the cases of students of secondary and higher secondary schools in five different categories.

According to him, it has been decided that all students of grades 9 and 11 are to be promoted to grade 10 and 12, respectively.

'This will allow 100 per cent of regular and private students of 9th and 11th grades to advance to the next level,' he said.

The minister said it had been decided that the students promoted to grades 10 and 12 would not take composite exams next year. Explaining, he said these students would only be required to study the syllabus of grades 10 and 12 for the exams to be conducted in 2021.

'The grade 9th and 11th scores of these students will be calculated based on their grade 10th and 12th performance next year,' the minister said.

Mr Mahmood said it had been decided that the students appearing in grade 10th and 12th examinations, who had failed up to 40pc of the Grade 9th and 11th subjects, would also be promoted after awarding them passing marks.

According to the minister, a special examination would be held sometime between September and November for the students in four different categories. These exams will be conducted for those students who were not...