KARACHI, Oct 20: Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) has described the provincial education department’s decision of starting academic session of colleges from April 1 as “impracticable”, and urged the authorities to immediately review the decision to avoid confusion among teachers and students.

“It is beyond our comprehension that why the education department’s steering committee has decided to change the academic calendar of colleges when there was neither any need nor was there any recommendation made by the Inter-Provincial Ministerial Conference (IPMC),” SPLA additional secretary Prof Iftikhar Mohammad Azmi wondered.

He said it was not obligatory upon Sindh to advance the date for the start of next academic session in colleges. Endorsing his views, a senior government official, currently associated with the process of framing new national education policy, said that under the present circumstances, it was not practically possible to start session from April 1 next.

The official, who wished not to be identified, said that academic session in colleges could begin in April only when the results of Secondary School Certificate (Class-X) annual examinations-2009 were announced in early February and the process of admissions to colleges was completed by the end of March. However, he said, according to a decision of the steering committee, the educational boards of the province had been asked to conduct the SSC annual examinations on March 20 and announce the results of the examinations by July 15.

Commenting on the steering committee’s decision about the next academic session in colleges across the province, the SPLA leader said that as a matter of fact, the IPMC with a view to brining uniformity across the country had only asked for advancing the date for starting schools’ academic session in Sindh which had been changed from August to April by the former provincial education minister, Dr Hameeda Khuhro.

He said that the dates fixed by the steering committee for conducting Secondary School Certificate (Class IX and X) annual examinations-2009 and for announcing the results of these examinations by the educational boards of the province were also self-contradictory.

“How can the next academic year in colleges across the province begin in April 2009 when the steering committee itself had asked the educational boards of the province to conduct the SSC (Class IX and X) annual examinations-2009 from March 20 and announce the results of these examinations by July 15, 2009?” he queried, saying that announcement of the Class X result by July 15 meant that the process of admission to first year classes in colleges next year would again begin in August as the boards would take another 15 days to issue marks sheets of Class X candidates.

Expressing concern over the absence of the chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIEK) from the steering committee’s meeting, Prof Azmi said that it was shocking to note that he was not invited to the meeting although the BIEK was a major stakeholder that conducted the HSC (Class XI and XII) annual examinations and as many 115,000 to 120,000 candidates appeared in these examinations each year. The ratio of candidates taking their HSC examinations from other educational boards of the province also ranged between 10,000 and 20,000, he added.

Emphasizing the need for re-convening the steering committee’s meeting and ensuring participation of all stake-holders in it, he said that the education department officials should also review the decision concerning the colleges’ new academic calendar.