PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department has decided to replace the current British-era annual examination system in the schools up to grade 8 with the two-semester system.

Education secretary Mohammad Khalid told Dawn that the new examination system would lessen academic burden on students and teachers and end student learning losses due to months-long vacation.

He said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had already given the formal consent to the idea of changing the examination system.

“Now, the course will be divided into two equal parts to reduce burden for both students and teachers,” he said, adding that examinations will be taken at the end of each semester and marks of both semesters will have equal weight.

Secretary insists move to ease ‘academic burden’ for both students and teachers

The secretary said the teachers and students didn’t take the current mid-term examinations in schools seriously as the marks obtained by the students were not counted in the preparation of the annual examination.

He said that separate books would be printed for both semesters not only to reduce their size but also to reduce the weight of schoolbags.

“Often, parents complain that heavy school bags have a negative impact on the health of students,” he said.

Mr Khalid said in the existing system, the students in both winter and summer zones had two breaks in studies due to summer and winter vacation, but in the future, the break would come to end with the examination of each semester being held prior to vacation.

He said that students would be completely free on vacation after the introduction of the semester system.

“We will utilise the students’ free time by engaging them in co-curricular and extracurricular activities,” he said.

The secretary said the department had planned to provide digital and vocational training to the students during summer and winter breaks in both zones.

He said the students would be engaged in the plantation campaign in summer vacation.

Meanwhile, the provincial government, as part of its reform agenda, has decided to restructure the academic calendar by introducing Fall and Spring semesters in schools in summer and winter zones, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s House.

It added that initially, the system will be implemented for classes from nursery to grade 8.

According to the details, in the summer zone, the academic year will commence on Sept 1, with the Fall semester running from Sept 1 to Dec 31. The Spring semester will begin on January 16 and end on May 31.

In the winter zone, the academic year will start on March 1, the Spring semester will last from March 1 to June 30, and the Fall semester will be from August 1 to Dec 22.

Every semester will have separate examinations, and both sets of results will carry equal weightage in the preparation of final results, according to the statement.

“To reduce textbook burden for students, the government is considering splitting the curriculum into two parts for two semesters.

The current holiday schedule for both summer and winter zones will largely remain intact with minor adjustments. However, these vacation periods will be utilised for effective enrolment campaigns, free distribution and delivery of textbooks, teacher training, student summer and winter camps, and technical training programmes for students.”

The statement noted that the decision to maintain separate academic years for summer and winter zones had been taken in view of the distinct climatic conditions in those regions.

It added that the arrangement would not only provide students with ample opportunities to engage in co-curricular activities and acquire technical skills but also ensure the optimal and efficient utilisation of government resources.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025