It looks the federal government is having a testing time on several fronts, not just the political front. Even its ideas on reforming the examination system at the secondary and higher secondary levels are not acceptable to the provinces.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf had directed the education ministry in May 2006 to put in place a common examination system for the four provinces and Azad Kashmir as well.

But a year of consultations and meetings among the federal and provincial education ministers and authorities have produced differences rather than a consensus on the reforms in examinations at secondary and higher secondary levels.

Even the results of the SSC examinations of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) conducted on composite basis, presents a dismal picture. Only 50 per cent students could pass the examination and even those who passed were unable to get good marks.

The board also introduced a new pattern of question papers in the HSSC part-I examination which also produced dismal results. Under the new format, 30 per cent of the questions were of MCQ type, 50 per cent short answers and 20 per cent of application nature. As was expected, only 56 per cent students were declared successful.

On the other hand the results of the HSSC part-II examination, conducted on old pattern, showed that an overwhelming 80 per cent students were declared successful.

The background interviews with senior ministry officials both at federal and provincial levels revealed that there was nothing wrong with the plan to have a new pattern of examinations at SSC and HSSC levels. However, to make it successful the federal government needs to take provinces on board.

“Whenever there is an Inter-Provincial Education Ministers meeting chaired by the federal education minister, prime minister or president, they do not dare to challenge the decision of the chair and nod their heads in affirmation”, an official remarked.

Last year when the same meeting held with president Gen Musharraf in the chair, all the provinces except Sindh, agreed to introduce composite examination at SSC level in 2007. Sindh was given one year relaxation until 2008 on their assurance that they would implement the decision on administrative grounds.

However, three other provinces could not implement the decision this year and continued with the old mode of examination and now clear indications are coming from these provinces that they would carry on with separate examinations of class IX and X.

More or less the same kind of situation prevails in the federal education ministry. Decisions are taken at a very short notice without necessary discussions, officials in the federal education ministry said.

Given the opposition from the provincial education boards, it is most likely that the federal government may withdraw its decision to hold composite examination at SSC level.

When contacted, Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood confirmed that the Punjab would continue with the separate form of examination at matric level. When his attention was drawn to the decision taken last year, he said, “it was for every province not only for Punjab. So, when Sindh refused to accept composite form of examination, how could the federal government enforce its decision on the rest of the three provinces”.

Such reforms could not be introduced overnight, but needed ample time, officials argued, saying, “how could you introduce such drastic changes within a year”. These kind of reforms should be introduced at primary level, so that when students reach senior classes they are fully prepared to take the challenge, an official maintained.