KARACHI, March 20: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has once again asked the Sindh government to give priority to the issue of composite examination and ensure that the matter is placed before the Sindh cabinet at the earliest for a discussion and decision keeping in view the interest of the students, it was learnt officially.

Confirming that a letter on the issue of composite examination scheme at secondary school certificate (SSC) level had been received at the office of the Sindh chief secretary, a government official on Monday, said that the Sindh governor had been moved by the concerns expressed by the public and large number of stakeholders, who for times have been opposing the decision to revoke the old system of separate yearly exams for students of class IX and X in the province.

In the latest letter from the Governor House, it was said that the Sindh governor was constantly being approached by various quarters, including students, parents, teachers and educational experts, with the request to review the decision taken by the education department to conduct composite exams of class IX and X in 2007 and onwards.

Considering the reservations expressed by the committee of chairmen of all educational boards in the province, Dr Ibad, who is also the controlling authority of educational boards, on Feb 13 had sought a review in the matter of the new examination system.

Governor had pointed out to the government that uneasiness in accepting the composite system as being expressed by the stakeholders for various reasons was worth consideration and the proposed composite exam system should be examined by the Sindh cabinet.

Talking to newsmen on March 18, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim held that the federal minister for education, Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi was the ardent advocate of the idea of composite exams.

“As far as I am concerned, I will say that like many people of Sindh and Punjab I am still against the proposed composite examination system and feel that it will not be in the interest of the students”, he had stated.

According to official sources, the Governor House pointed out to the chief secretary that despite the fact that the governor sought an appropriate decision, as per the aspirations and opinion of larger sections of the people of the province, the matter pertaining to composite examination had not been placed before the Sindh cabinet, so far.

“Now once again the governor wanted that the issue of composite examination be placed before the cabinet and a decision keeping in view the interest of the students in consonance with the public opinion be taken at the earliest”, added the source.

It was learnt that among various accounts, governor also valued a representation of the COC of educational boards of Sindh, which was based on deliberations made at its monthly meeting of February, 2006 and resolutions of the 110th meeting of the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen, Pakistan, held in November at Peshawar.

The two bodies separately had opposed the implementation of composite examination plan and stressed for strengthening the existing part-wise examinations of SSC and HSC levels.

Experts felt that there would be extra burden on students when they take 10-14 subjects at a time, while on the other hand there was likelihood of spreading the menace of copy culture among students.

It is also feared that the students of low-income groups, both in urban and rural areas, who have been taking education along with their bread earning activities or jobs to help out their families, would have to abandon their education as clearing the whole courses of two years in one attempt would be an extremely difficult task, said a senior academician.