ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on Monday slammed PML-N for “doing politics” on examinations, saying that 95pc students were appearing in ongoing exams.

Speaking on the National Assembly floor, the minister said that 95pc students were appearing in exams, but opposition parties have been demanding the government to delay the exams.

He was responding to concerns shown by PML-N lawmakers, who had raised the issue of protests by intermediate students to press the government to delay the examinations and demanded that exams should be postponed.

The education minister, who was not present in last two sittings of National Assembly when the said lawmakers raised the issue, on Monday rejected their demand and said that PML-N want to play with future of students just for cheap publicity and political gain.

He said the demand to delay exams was unjustified, adding the decision for holding the exams was made by the provincial education ministers including the PML-N government in AJK, at Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference.

The minster said last year government promoted students based on their previous years exams but this year the previous results were not available. “Exams are best tools to judge the capability of students,” he said and added that 40pc syllabus have already been reduced while exams were postponed for three months and instead of March-April, “now we are holding in July that too of only four elective subjects,” he said.

The minister said exams were being held as per routine and smoothly adding that 95pc students are appearing in exams and those who prefer not to appear in exams can appear in supplementary exams.

In response to Shafqat Mahmood’s statement on floor of the house, PML-N lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal said there was no justification for conducting examination on reduced syllabus, adding that holding exams on reduced syllabus is unfair with students.

The PML-N MNA said last year when Covid-19 emerged, he had suggested to the education minister to complete the syllabus under crash programme, but the minister paid no heed to his proposal.

“We are not doing politics on this issue rather we are performing national duty,” he said and added that minister is unaware of ground realities.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2021