PESHAWAR: Amid the PTI’s protest march on Islamabad, all boards of intermediate and secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have delayed the Secondary School Certificate (matriculation) annual II examinations for five days due to disruption in the communication services and transportation of examination material in parts of the province.
According to the schedule issued by education boards, the examination was set to start on Wednesday. However, it will now begin on Oct 12.
A senior official of the elementary and secondary education department told Dawn that the candidates would appear in the papers on Oct 28, 29, 30 and 31 instead of Oct 7, 8, 9 and 10.
He said that the examination had been delayed due to the PTI’s ongoing protest march on Islamabad.
The official said that in major parts of the province, the mobile service had either been suspended or slowed down for security reasons, hampering the smooth holding of the examination.
He also said that due to the protest march and security reasons, the invigilation staff would face trouble in reaching the schools where examination halls were established.
The official said in the absence of a mobile network or its slow working, it was not possible to conduct the online attendance of the candidates in the examination hall.
If things go as planned, participants of the PTI’s protest march will reach Peshawar on Tuesday night. After spending a night in the Mattani area of Peshawar, they will go to Khyber tribal district the next day, spend the night there and then proceed to their destination, Attock Bridge, through Peshawar and Nowshera districts.
“The Competent Authority (Chairman, BISE Bannu) has been pleased to postpone the scheduled papers of SSC Annual-II/Oriental Languages Examination, 2026, commencing from 07th October to 10th October, 2026 due to several reasons,” read a notification issued by the BISE Bannu.
It added that the SSC annual-II/Oriental Languages Examination, 2026, was scheduled to commence on Oct 7 as per the date sheet notified by it, but mobile and internet services stood suspended within the board’s jurisdiction due to the prevailing security situation in the area.
“The suspension of mobile and internet services is likely to cause serious inconvenience to the parents, students, teachers and the Board administration, particularly in the timely receipt and dissemination of roll numbers, duty letters and other examination-related communications, as well as in the dispatch of examination stationery to the respective examination centres, so, the prevailing circumstances may adversely affect the smooth and transparent conduct of the scheduled examination,” read the notification.
It added that the board chairman had postponed the holding of the papers of SSC Annual-II/Oriental Languages Examination, scheduled for Oct 7, 8, 9 and 10.
The board, however, said the post-Oct 11 schedule of all remaining papers would remain unchanged, with the exam being conducted strictly in line with the already notified date sheet.
The board directed authorities to take note of the decision and ensure its immediate dissemination to all concerned, including candidates, heads of institutions, supervisory staff and other stakeholders within their respective jurisdictions.
The remaining education boards, including the Peshawar board, have also issued notifications regarding the rescheduling of the SSC examination.
Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2026
