PESHAWAR: The students of intermediate courses, who intend to improve grades through special examinations proposed to be held after tests for admission to medical and engineering colleges, are likely to lose one academic year.

They insist that if special examinations are held after ‘entry tests’, those wanting to improve grades through special examination to ensure enrolment in professional colleges will have to wait until next year to sit the entry test.

Several students told Dawn that they were stressed out by the proposal to hold that special examination in Sept or Oct as entry tests were usually held in Aug or Sept.

The students demanded of the provincial government to hold special examination for the students of intermediate classes to improve grades prior to the entry test.

The education boards have proposed to the provincial government to hold special exams in Sept or Oct for the students interested in improving grades.

Govt asked to hold special exam for the purpose before entry tests of professional colleges

The government has decided to hold special examination for the students who are not satisfied with the government’s decision of promoting intermediate and matriculation students without examination due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

“If the government arranges special examination after entry test, then the students would lose a year because they would not be able to appear in the entry test as they will be waiting for the special examination,” a student told Dawn.

He said federal education minister Shafqat Mahmood had claimed time and again that students won’t be affected by the government’s decision to promote them without sitting exam, but that wasn’t true regarding special examination.

“The students will definitely be affected in case of special examination as they will not be able to sit entry tests. It’s an injustice to those wanting to improve grades. They all have been under stress for the last four months,” he said.

The student demanded of the government to hold special examination by the end of July or at the start of August to help those intending to improve grades could sit tests for admission to professional colleges.

A student’s father said the government had reopened all markets and they’re thronged with shoppers, so why the government was using delaying tactics for the holding of special exams to the misery of hundreds of students.

He demanded the early holding of that exam and delaying of entry tests of medical and engineering colleges until the announcement of the special exam results.

An official of the elementary and secondary education department told Dawn that all decisions made regarding the students’ promotion without exam and holding of special exam were ‘still at the proposal stage’.

He said a summary in that respect was sent to the law department many days ago for vetting but it had yet to be returned.

The official said the mechanism for the issuance of intermediate and matriculation certificates had also not been finalised yet.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2020