KARACHI, Aug 19: Board of Intermediate Education’s plan to facilitate intermediate students in appearing for biology and mathematics papers simultaneously, seems to be falling a pray to lack of interest on part of board authorities.

Under a BIEK decision the intermediate student had to be provided an opportunity to appear in Biology and Mathematics papers, simultaneously, it was learnt officially.

Sources said that the proposal in this regard was tabled during a board meeting, held a few years back, with its chairman Dr Mohammad Sharif Memon in the chair, and it was resolved that students belonging either to the pre-medical or the pre-engineering groups would be enabled to appear in the papers of the other group in one academic session.

It was said that the proposal could be materialized in order to save the precious time of students who normally apply for taking the papers of Mathematics or Biology, as additional subjects, after their results were declared, in order to improve their marks.

The meeting was further told that if students were allowed to appear in both the papers simultaneously, in future all such students would not have to wait for another year to appear in additional papers.

The sources at the BIEK said the board was interested in approving the provision of allowing students to appear, on voluntary basis, simultaneously in the two papers, along with other compulsory subjects (Urdu, English, Islamiat and Pakistan Studies), provided the head of their college recommended the case to the board for grant of permission.

According to the proposal submitted with the board, the principals of colleges were required to send the names of candidates desiring to appear in the two papers simultaneously, within three months of the start of the academic session.

Those who favoured the proposal put the condition that colleges would have to ensure the availability of a considerable number of such students and extra teaching classes for students of both of the groups, i.e. pre-engineering and pre-medical.

A senior official at the board said that details of terms and condition for such facility had to be formulated and notified so that students could be in a position to avail themselves of the facility from the next academic session.

As far as the issue of results was concerned, the board had planned to issue separate mark-sheets and certificates to candidates appearing in Mathematics and Biology papers simultaneously, the official said, adding that preparation of the results of such candidates was supposed to be taken along with other candidates of the group, which they were to belong.—PPI