KARACHI: While turning down a petition impugning the assessment criteria and results of the teaching licence test, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has observed that the formulation of policy ordinarily falls within the domain of the executive and that the judiciary is not expected to assume the role of a policy-making authority.
The SHC also noted that no justification had been made out for interference with the testing process for setting it aside since nothing was brought on record to establish arbitrariness, illegality or any other compelling ground warranting interference by the high court in its constitutional jurisdiction.
A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice Riazat Ali Sahar further said that this court was not required to substitute its own assessment of the appropriate qualifying threshold for that adopted by the competent authority, provided that the prescribed criterion was lawful, rationally connected with the object sought to be achieved and uniformly applied.
It stated that the prescribed minimum qualifying threshold of 50 per cent in each component appeared to be consistent with the underlying objective of the Teaching License Policy, 2023, which seeks to improve the standard of education by ensuring the requisite knowledge and professional teaching competencies.
Nabeela Riaz Butt and others petitioned the SHC in September 2024 and submitted that they were serving as teachers in government schools and challenged the assessment criteria adopted by Sukkur IBA Testing Services for the teaching licence test and the declaration of its results.
They mainly contended that the assessment criteria, including the requirement of obtaining a minimum passing mark of 50 per cent in each component, had not been duly disclosed to them before the examination and that the determination of these criteria after the test adversely affected their results.
According to the court order, an additional advocate general, Sindh, along with the law officer of Sindh Teachers Education Development Authority (STEDA), fully supported the policy and the testing process conducted thereunder.
They argued that the policy in question was introduced with the object of improving the standard of education and ensuring the professional competency of teachers through a uniform and transparent testing mechanism.
The bench in its order said that the policy had been framed under the STEDA, which was legally empowered to formulate and implement policies relating to teachers’ education, professional development and the standardisation of teaching competencies.
It also noted that the introduction of the policy appeared to be consistent with the statutory objectives of the authority and the legislative framework governing teachers’ professional development. The Sindh Teachers Education Development Authority Act, 2012 has also empowered the government to issue directions to the STEDA for effective implementation of its policies and to ensure proper regulation and standardisation of teachers’ education.
It further observed that prior to the conduct of the test, sample papers were uploaded by Sukkur IBA for guidance and facilitation of the candidates. This indicated that material relating to the nature and structure of the examination was made accessible to the candidates before the test.
On examining the relevant qualifying criteria, the bench said that the requirement of securing at least 50pc marks in each component, including content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, was intended to ensure that candidates possessed the requisite subject knowledge as well as the necessary pedagogical competence.
“The requirement was not limited to obtaining an aggregate score by combining the marks secured in both components; rather, a candidate was required to meet the prescribed minimum qualifying threshold in each component separately. Such a requirement appears consistent with the underlying objective of the Teaching License Policy, 2023, to improve the standard of education by ensuring that teachers possess the requisite knowledge and professional teaching competencies”, the order said.
The court also noted that around 4,000 candidates had appeared in the test and the prescribed criteria had been applicable to all of them participating in the examination and therefore, the petitioners have not, merely by questioning the qualifying threshold, established that a different standard was applied to them.
Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2026
