KARACHI, Jan 31: Senior professors have strongly opposed the federal government’s decision to hold composite examination for classes XI and X, and termed it a blatant intervention in the autonomous education policy of a province.

Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, Professor Dewan Aftab Ahmed Khan of the Union of Senior Professors said the law and the constitution allowed the federal government only to form a unified curriculum and it could not interfere into any other affair of education policy of a province.

According to the law, the federal government could not impose its decision on a province to hold composite examination, he added.

Flanked by other professors included Anees Zaidi, Haroon Rasheed, Qazi Siraj, Imtiaz Ahmed and others, Mr Ahmed appreciated the efforts of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad for suspending the decision last year and asked him to play his due role in convincing the federal government that it was Sindh to decide about composite examination.

Referring to the statistics prepared by the research department of the Board of Secondary School Certificate, he spelled out the number of students appeared in matriculation examination conducted by various boards in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Hyderabad.

Professor Dewan Aftab said 70 per cent was the ratio of those students passed their examination in Karachi Board while 41 per cent passed in Lahore, 52 per cent students passed their exams in Peshawar, 46 per cent in Quetta, 42 per cent in Rawalpindi and 79 per cent in Hyderabad.

He said the statistics showed that the composite exams did not produce better results.

He feared that the ratio of passed students would decrease drastically after the implementation of the composite examination system.

Referring to education system in advanced countries, he said those countries had introduced semester system which was globally successful.

“We should go forward instead of adopting outdated system,” he added.

Criticising the role of Sindh Education Minister Dr Hameed Khuhro, Mr Ahmed said she seemed to be representing federal government rather than speaking on behalf of the people of Sindh who had elected her and sent her to the provincial assembly.

He appealed to the chief minister, speaker provincial assembly and all members of provincial assembly to evaluate the negative impact of the composite examination system, and save the educational career of students by rejecting the composite exam system besides devising such a policy to safeguard their future.

Meanwhile, Sindh Teachers’ Forum President Prof (Dr) Nasiruddin Khan opposing the composite exams at matriculation level, said when exams at university level were conducted after every six months, composite exams were unjustified.

After the teachers meeting, attended by teachers of various schools and colleges, he appealed to the governor and chief minister to ask the federal government to review its decision about composite exams in view of specific conditions of the province.