KARACHI: Federal minister says no to separate exams
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 6: Not showing any flexibility on the issue of composite exams of IX and X classes at SSC level, the inter-provincial moot of education ministers on Tuesday decided to go a step further by introducing the composite system of examination at the HSC as well.
The meeting was chaired by the federal education minister, Lt-Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi, who is considered to be the main soul behind the proposed composite exams at the SSC and HSC levels.
At one stage he said that he himself had taken exams under the combined system and it was all a good experience then.
Since the last meeting of the education ministers in Lahore, students, parents and school management associations, have been expressing concern over the decision to conduct composite exams for class IX and X students from 2006 onwards and demanding for its reversal as there was no convincing rationale behind it.
On Monday, students had staged a rally in the city against the decision and demanded for a review as it would not only overburden the students but also make the exams just an affair of retention of contents they had been taught in the classes, rather than making it a demonstration of knowledge.
In line with an earlier directive of the Sindh chief minister, the Sindh education department had also planned to refer to the grievances of the students and demand of the chief minister that the SSC exams should be held in two parts as usual at the meeting. However, that was not done following a meeting of the education minister at the Chief Minister House late on Monday night.
Perhaps, sensing the opposition on the issue, the federal education minister, who finally managed to get the Lahore decision reconfirmed by ministers on Tuesday, at the very outset of a briefing arranged for newsmen, said that if some one disliked the decision, he could be justified in doing so but he would remain unmoved on it.
He said that the moot had unanimously decided to conduct composite exams of class IX and X from 2007 and also resolved for taking another composite examination under boards for class XI and XII students tentatively from 2009.
The Punjab education department would prepare a working paper in regard to the HSC composite exams, while provinces would be given some time to implement the decision with their convenience.
When asked to count the merits or give rationale behind the decision in question, the minister said that he could only say that this had been aimed at improving the standard of education in the country.
He left the room abruptly, without responding to the queries of the newsmen, saying that that he was not prepared for any debate or argument on the issue.
