May 25, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1429

KARACHI, May 24: The Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi (BIEK) has reactivated its directorate of educational research that has been assigned the task of devising an effective paper pattern to ensure transparency.

It was decided at a meeting held on Saturday with the BIEK chairman, Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai, in the chair.

The decision has been taken to ascertain the validity and acceptability of the results and to ensure transparency in the mode of measurement and the grading system.

The BIEK chairman has asked the directorate of educational research of the board to scientifically evaluate examination papers of the last five years of each and every subject pertaining to the pre-medical, pre-engineering, home economics, commerce, science general and humanities groups.

It was further decided at the meeting that the research activity would also try to find out the reason for the consistent decline in pass percentage over the past few years. Besides, the evaluation of the trend of switching over from science group to the commerce group would also be a major focus of the research exercise.

It was also decided that the previous examination papers belonging to the other six educational boards of the province would also be made part of the research work for a comparative analysis.A comparative statement shall also be prepared by the research cell with regard to the pass percentage of various boards during previous years.

This exercise will help in implementing the model papers prepared on a new pattern and are supposed to come into effect from the year 2009. These model papers are based on 50 per cent objective items, 20 per cent short answers and 30 per cent descriptive questions for each and every subject.

It is learnt that the copies of these model papers have already been dispatched to the heads of the recognised institutions as well as the chairmen of all the educational boards of the country.

The BIEK also decided in the meeting to seek assistance and guidance from senior professors in the research work assigned to the Directorate of Educational Research.—Agencies