Examination crisis.

WE inherited our school examination system from the colonial rulers. After independence, universities were responsible for conducting school examinations in the country. Under the Sharif Commission 1959, the government of Pakistan established the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

The boards had a broader mandate of organising, regulating, developing and controlling both intermediate and secondary education in the country. Later, their mandate was restricted to the conduct of intermediate and secondary examinations. The boards continued to maintain examination standards and conducted the SSC and HSSC examination effectively and efficiently. It was after the 1970s that they started struggling to maintain examination standards and credibility.

The examination system in Pakistan has suffered from various deficiencies, including: lack of a proper item bank, the lower order of cognitive skills among students (rote learning), lack of an examination syllabus including test specifications, lack of examination reliability and validity, leakage of question papers, cheating and other unfair practices, lack of accountability of examination staff, lack of authenticity and accuracy in marking, lack of transparency in examination results, and lack of research in examination.

There seems to be a disconnect between the 'purpose of education' and the 'purpAose of examination' whichhas had an advAeArse impact on the quality of education in PakAistan. Examinations must be 'fit for purApose' to help achieve learning outcomes underlying the curriculum framework.

Quick fixes cannot improve the deteriorating quality of exams.

Recognising the need for improving the examination system, the National EducaAtion Policy 2009 emphasised the consolidation of the existing boards for their improvAement, but that remained mere rhetoric.

While many boards have failed to conduct transparent and quality examinations in the country in general and Sindh in particular, they also didn't maintain examination uniformity and standardisation. Hence, the quality of exams varied from board to board across the country. The stakeholders also raised concerns about the deteriorating quality of exams, including malpractice and corruption, but no serious attempt was made to transform the school examination system to address these genuine concerns.

Although some boards have transformed themselves to a great extent, the rest, especially the Sindh boards, are currently passing...

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