Education minister urges stakeholders to ensure transparency in exams

KARACHI: Sindh Education and Literacy Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said on Monday said that all stakeholders have to come on the same page to eradicate the practice of cheating in examinations in order to improve education in the province.

This was said while he was presiding over the meeting of Steering Committee on Education here at the Sindh Assembly Building. Colleges Secretary Pervaiz Ahmed Seehar, Schools Secretary Nasir Abbas, chairmen of all educational boards, private institutions director general, representatives of private institutions and educationists also attended the meeting.

On this occasion, Pervaiz briefed the audience regarding the objectives of the meeting. It was decided unanimously that academic session of the schools would commence from 1st April, academic session of the Cambridge O and A-level would start from 1st August while the academic session of the colleges would commence from 1st August as well.

It was also decided that the students from grade 1 to 3 would be promoted to next class on the basis of the performance and assessment. Examinations up to grade 8 will be completed by 10th March and result will be announced by 31st March. Theory exams of grade 9 and 10 shall commence from 29th March and their results will be announced by 15th July by all Boards of Sindh except the Board of Secondary Education Karachi which will announce it by 31st July.

Examinations of grade 11 and 12 will commence from 24th April and result will be announced by all Boards by 31st August expect Karachi Board which will announce it on 15th September. Non -teaching staff will not be assigned invigilation duties in schools and colleges.

It was further decided that summer vacations will be observed from 1st June to 31st July while winter vacations will be observed from 22nd December to 31st December.

Pervaiz Ahmed Seehar while briefing the meeting emphasised upon them to take all possible steps to curb cheating in exams and create awareness among all stakeholders including parents, teachers, and students regarding the negative consequences of cheating in exams.

It was decided that monitoring teams would be formed to stop cheating in the examinations; the teachers will be bound to perform exams duties; violators will be dealt strictly; teachers will be paid a monetary consideration in exchange of performing duties as invigilators.

Minister for Education Jam Mehtab Dahar asked all those present in the meeting to play their positive role in curbing unfair means in the examinations in order to improve education in Sindh while secretary colleges assured them his full cooperation in implementing the policies.