LAHORE: The Punjab Board Committee chairman has announced a significant change in the examination system for the ninth and 10th grades.

The move, aimed at streamlining the examination process, involves reducing one paper from the current format.

Traditionally, students in the ninth and 10th grades had to sit for separate papers for Islamic Studies and Pakistan Studies. However, under the new system, there will be a single paper of 100 marks for Islamic Studies in the ninth grade, and a single paper of 100 marks for Pakistan Studies in the 10th class.

The decision is set to be implemented from the ninth grade in 2025.

The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) controller of examinations has already communicated the change to the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB). As a result, from next year onwards, the textbooks for Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies will be revised and prepared in accordance with the new decision.

This move is expected to simplify the examination process and reduce the burden on students, thereby fostering a more conducive learning environment. It remains to be seen how this change will be received by students and educators alike.

According to a notification available with Dawn, the papers in the subjects of Islamiat (compulsory) and Pakistan Studies (compulsory) are conducted at secondary school certificate (SSC) level. The examination of these subjects carrying 100 marks each is conducted in two parts i.e. ninth and 10th and each part carries 50 marks.

It is pertinent to mention here that on the instructions received from the Punjab government, a subject of Tarjmatul Quranul Majeed has also been added to the scheme of studies and the paper of this subject was also taken by the board in SSC (ninth & 10th) first & second annual examinations, 2023. Now, a student has to attempt nine subjects in one part.

A proposal with regard to conducting the paper of Islamiat (compulsory) and Pakistan Studies (compulsory) in SSC level separately for 100 marks in each part instead of both parts of SSC exam was deliberated by the Punjab Boards Committee of Chairperson (PBCC) which was approved and decided as below: The proposed intervention was deliberated upon and approved the same as it would reduce the cumulative number of papers from nine to eight (part-I & part-II each) for the candidates of SSC examination.

The PBCC further decided that the matter may be taken up with Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board to revise the scheme accordingly and launch books of Islamiat and Pakistan Studies with model paper of 100 marks (for both subjects) for SSC part-I and part-II, respectively. For the session of 2024-2026, the paper will be administered for 100 marks for Islamiat in SSC part-I in 2025 and 100 marks for Pakistan Studies in SSC part-II in 2026.

The PCTB has been requested to initiate work for publishing and releasing a book of Islamiat (compulsory) with a model paper of 100 marks for SSC (ninth) students for 2024 and a book of Pakistan Studies with a model paper of 100 marks for students of SSC (10th) for 2025.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2024