KARACHI, March 22: Educationists and school managers have suggested the month of June for holding Class IX (SSC Part-I) annual examinations in the province, as the Sindh Cabinet on Wednesday found the by-parts examination system more appropriate than the composite one for students in the province, said people in the educational circles.

Talking to Dawn, senior educationists and examiners praised the Sindh governor and chief minister and members of the Sindh Cabinet for safeguarding the sentiments of students and parents by rejecting the proposed composite examinations system.

The quarters concerned were hopeful that educational boards, after observing formalities, would announce separate dates for commencement of exams for Class IX at the earliest.

Deliberating on the possible schedule of examinations of Class IX, experts held that students of the said class should be given at least two months time prior to the examinations, so they could concentrate on studies from the examination point of view. It may be mentioned that exams of 10th classes will be held in mid April.

An examination official said that boards would be very much in a position to conduct separate examinations for the entire 300,000 Class IX students of the province in the second or third week of June.

Also under the changing weather patterns, it can be said that the days in June would be calm with bearable temperature for students both in urban and rural areas.

When contacted, a senior member of an educational board said that Class IX examinations would hardly consume 10 days.

The students of Class IX of secondary schools are already enrolled with the boards, and they would now only be required to submit examination forms, he said.

After collection of exam forms in a span of three weeks, according to the member, the boards would require another three weeks for documentation and preparation of admit cards.

While the process for setting question papers will start the day the Sindh Education Department issues a notification about continuation of the old system of examination ie exams by parts, he added.

He indicated that the results of Class IX would not bother the boards either, as the students in question would automatically be promoted to Class X, teaching for which would commence with the commencement of the new academic session on August 16.

In the meantime, senior office bearers of the Private Schools Management Association, including its Senior Vice-President, Sharfuz Zaman, lauded the decision of the Sindh Cabinet and remarked that now, as a special exercise, boards should hold Class IX examinations separately from June 15 onwards.