KARACHI, Oct 10: While the government is adamant to impose teaching of Sindhi for Urdu speaking students at intermediate level, with immediate effect, teachers and students are doubtful about a fair treatment in the exams, said sources in the educational circle.

It was learnt that the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, like the city government’s education department, was yet to move on the issue. Any formal development can be seen only after the Sindh government’s notification regarding the introduction of Sindh Salees (Compulsory) is placed before the committee of chairmen of educational boards of the province, said a senior official of the board.

According to an estimate, on average 90,000 to 100,000 candidates, including 40,000 to 44,000 those of Science (pre-engineering and pre-medical) faculty, appear in the first year intermediate exams at Karachi. If the board examined the candidates in Sindhi Salees (compulsory) as well in 2006 examination, then the board would surely need sufficient number of assessors for Sindhi answer scripts.

In the given situation board has got 30-35 Sindhi language teachers, who would need 100-125 working days for assessing the Sindhi scripts as per the BIEK rules and style of assessment. However, if the teachers at present enlisted with the board are overburdened, any fair assessment and scrutiny of scripts was unlikely, said a college teacher.

Students expressed the view that in order to enforce its decision, the government could acquire the services of new Sindhi master degree holders either on ad hoc basis in the shape of cooperative teachers or on regular basis through the public service commission, which would surely consume considerable time and till the induction of teachers students would remain without teaching in the Sindhi subject and finally would be required to appear in the exams, no matter they had been taught the subject as per requirement or not.

Private college management said that they would certainly need some time for hiring the services of Sindhi subject teachers. They were already under pressure from parents not to overburden their wards in the shape of Sindhi teaching, it was said.

Academicians were of the view that things should be implemented peacefully and flawlessly. We have seen the “whimsical bulldozing of IT as compulsory subject at colleges” in recent years, despite the fact that 90 per cent of the city colleges were equipped and had started imparting IT education to students for a good to them in future, they said.

The sad expect of implementing the Sindhi subject in haste without having any discussion or review of the available facilities at colleges was that ultimately students would have to suffer at the hands of inexperienced teachers.

It is obvious that qualified and experienced teachers for the assessment of Sindh Salees answer scripts if somehow are available, they will be very limited in number and as such it would be very difficult for them to assess the scripts of about 0.1 million students of first year candidly in a limited timeframe, academicians noted further.

In the meantime, while the time is limited for both the educational authorities and examination body, a special course of Sindhi has to be prepared for teaching and examination in the left over time, added a senior teacher.

The authorities are also keeping mum on the issue of Urdu compulsory subject. “Should we stop teaching Urdu as mother tongue to students in Class XI or continue with, it is yet to be known” questioned a senior teacher of Urdu.

Students urged the authorities to reconsider the Sindh Salees issue and at least delay it till the time all related aspects were examined and teachers as well as examiners were found for the purpose, otherwise they would be given to understand that a limited number of teachers, including the novice, would be allowed to play with the carriers of the students, particularly those working hard for higher ranks in the exams.

They said that there was no precedence of teaching a regional language as a compulsory subject at intermediate level or above. The federal government was claiming to bring uniformity in the education policies of all the provinces, while on the other hand disparities are being allowed to take places, which was surprising, said an education official.

Experts are of the view that the government should move gradually for the implementation of Sindhi as a compulsory subject for the Urdu speaking. It would be feasible for all quarters concerned that students, initially, be allowed to take Sindhi as optional or elective subject. Sindhi as a compulsory subject can be delayed till the time the faculty and examination board capacity is improved and enhanced.

When contacted, the controller of examination of BIEK, Prof Mohammad Amin Khalid, said that under the board rules a college teacher with at least three-year teaching experience in the subject could be appointed as assessors of answer scripts, while an associate professor could be made paper setter of a subject.

In the meantime, a meeting held with Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro in the chair on Monday among other items on agenda, also reviewed the situation with regard to the implementation of teaching of Sindhi Salees to the Urdu speaking students at the intermediate level.

The meeting was told that a decision had been taken “under the directives of the Sindh governor and in accordance to the legislation done in 1971”. The meeting decided to implement the decision of teaching of Sindhi salees subject in letter and spirit.

According to a government handout, the meeting was apprised by one additional secretary of the education department that the legislation in question envisaged teaching of Urdu salees to students having Sindhi as mother tongue, while the Urdu speaking students will study Sindhi Salees for the promotion of harmony among both the segments of the province.