KARACHI, Nov 22: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi’s decision to prepare the next year’s SSC examination papers under the old scheme of studies has created confusion among the rest of the educational boards who are working out on the new scheme of studies approved by the higher authorities concerned.
“The BSEK decision has created confusion among the students enrolled with it and the fellow boards across the country alike,” a senior official in the education department told Dawn.
The BSEK’s academic council had lately notified that its annual examination for the year 2008 would be based on the old scheme of studies, according to which the marks for theory and practical examinations would be 75 and 25 respectively. However, under the new scheme of studies the total marks for a theory and a practical examination are 85 and 15 respectively.
Interestingly, sources said, while deciding for the reversal of the decision taken at the highest level the BSEK’s academic council cited the holding of general elections in January as one of the reasons. The fact remains that the board’s examinations would be held in May 2008. Sources said that the BSEK had sent a notification to all the affiliated schools of the city informing them about the change in its decision.
The situation has created panic among the students and teachers who said they had been working on the new pattern of studies as ordered by the federal education ministry and notified by the provincial authorities and the educational boards.
It would be instructive to recall that the inter-provincial ministerial conference held in Islamabad last month had decided about the new scheme of studies, after which the federal education ministry had formally approved it.
The Inter-Boards Committee of Chairmen in Sindh had then endorsed and the Council of Chairmen had also formally decided to start preparing their papers on the new scheme from exams in 2008. The former federal education minister had issued an order for the new scheme on Nov 2.
The BSEK’s sudden departure from the unanimous decision had created confusion and anxiety among rest of the boards, said an official. “Such a decision is unnecessary on the part of the BSEK as it is not its jurisdiction to decide about the new scheme of studies but it falls in the jurisdiction of the education department,” said an official.
