MULTAN, Dec 15: Students of the Fundamentals of Science (FSc) enrolled with the Punjab Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education have expressed concern over the pattern of examination papers being introduced from the year 2004.

In a letter written to the Punjab chief minister and the Education department authorities, hundreds of students have termed the proposed pattern ‘unacceptable’ especially when they will have to compete with the Federal Education Board candidates for admission in professional institutions.

The Punjab Education department has recently released the sample papers for the FSc annual examination, 2004, that have raised alarm among students as according to the new pattern they will have to answer all the objective and subjective questions in the subjects of chemistry, physics and biology.

On the contrary, the FEB has retained the previous practice and its candidates will have the choice to answer the required number of questions.

In the multiple choice questions (MCQs), both the FEB and Punjab boards give no choice to the candidates. But, whereas the matter of subjective/theoretical questions is concerned the FEB provides choice of conducting four questions out of eight in physics and two from four in chemistry. While the candidates of Punjab boards will now have to answer all the four questions that will be given in physics and chemistry papers.

In their joint letter, the students asserted that the intermediate examination provided the base for admission in the institutions of higher education and the disparity between the Punjab boards and FEB would give an edge to the latter’s candidates over the former’s.

They urged that either the Punjab Education department do away with its plan to change the pattern of the examination papers or the FEB should also adopt the proposed pattern as well to provide equal opportunities to candidates of both the boards.