KARACHI, Aug 12: The Sindh education department has decided not to split or reshuffle the subjects in the scheme of secondary schools certificate examination for the time being.

It was learnt that a meeting of the department was held with education secretary of Sindh, Ghulam Ali Pasha, on Friday to discuss and evaluate issues related to new scheme of studies, which was proposed by the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen about eight months back.

It was resolved in the meeting that the educational boards of the province would conduct SSC examinations as per sequence and schedule of marks already in practice. The books of chemistry and biology published and released by Sindh Textbook Board recently would also remain valid for study in Class IX from the current session.

Sources privy to the meeting said the meeting was told that in view of a decision of inter-province meeting of education ministers at Lahore on July 24, the IBCC had also decided not to lay stress on splitting SSC examination subjects. However, any formal circulation of the IBCC’s decision in question is yet to be received by the Sindh Education department, added the source.

The inter-province meeting of education ministers, which was held with federal education minister in the chair, had decided that the composite matriculation examination system would be revived at country level from 2007.

It was observed in the meting on Friday since the federal government had called for merger of Class IX and X examinations, the previous proposal of the IBCC stood invalid and the province should go with the old style of examination till the composite examination system was enforced by the government in all provinces.

Under the latest decision, which would be formally communicated to all concerned in a day or two, major subjects of science and general group’s, taught either in Class IX or X, would now neither be bifurcated for teaching purposes nor their examinations would be held separately in Class IX and X, said a source.

About the books which STB has marketed in line with the “proposed split study and examination scheme”, but without any intimation to or approval of the Sindh education department, the source said it had been decided in the meeting that students of Class IX would be taught new books of chemistry and biology from this year, while students of Class X would be given old books.

It was clarified that since there would be no two examinations of chemistry, biology or computer science in Class IX and X, as proposed earlier, the students of Class IX would be taught the two volumes of new books in the same year, i.e. in Class IX only.

The additional secretary of education department, Dr Mehboob A Shaikh, Chairman, Sindh Textbook Board, Abdul Aziz Mehranvi, Chairman, Mirpurkhas Education board, Anwar A Zai, among others attended the meeting.

The STBB chairman informed the meeting that Part-II of new chemistry and biology books would be made available in about four months’ time.