May 6, 2005	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426

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LAHORE, May 5: Ninety private educational institutions throughout the country have so far been registered with the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKUEB). The board has also (under the official guidance) formulated the syllabus of the secondary school certificate examination and started imparting training to teachers of the institutions registered with it. The board plans to hold first examinations next year.

Half of the institutions affiliated with the board are in Sindh, mostly in Karachi, while the remaining are in the other three provinces.

Official sources told Dawn on Thursday that over 200 private institutions across the country had sought affiliation with the AKUEB but applications of 110 were rejected as they failed to meet criteria.

Only such private institutions are eligible for affiliation with the board which have laboratory, library and other infrastructure.

Regarding fee structure, sources said, the board had introduced two categories for the institutions affiliated with it; the schools which charged Rs800 and above from a student per month would have to pay Rs3,000 registration fee per student per year. Those charging less than Rs800 would have to pay Rs1,500 per student to the board, they added.

The sources said the Sindh government had expressed its wish to allow public sector institutions to join the AKUEB but the federal government was ‘very cautious’ in permitting the board to register public sector schools owing to public criticism.

When contacted, a spokesman said the AKUEB’s sole purpose was to improve the quality of education.

He said the board was following the national curriculum and the reports that it would introduce its own curriculum in its affiliated institutions were baseless.

“The ordinance establishing AKUEB clearly states that it will follow the national curriculum and syllabi.”

He said the misunderstanding about the AKUEB was created by certain elements following the distribution of a WHO questionnaire. The board had nothing to do with the questionnaire.

He said the board had no plan to take over government examination board which was not even practically possible.

He said the AKUEB expected to enrol 7,000 candidates for the first examinations in 2006. It expected the number would grow to 27,000 over five years.