KARACHI, Feb 3: Due to poor planning and lack of coordination in teaching the Information Technology as a compulsory subject at the intermediate level, students in government colleges are still at sixes and sevens as HSC annual examinations are nearing.

While the HSC exams are only about two-and-a-half months away, students are, by and large, still not prompted for the IT examination. “We are confused over the stance of the education department, preparations made by the educational board and statements of educational authorities, including the minister, in regard to IT examination,” said college students.

Meanwhile, another two high-level meetings are being convened on Feb 6 to review the progress made on IT teaching and exam. The first meeting of EDOs (education) and educational boards’ officials would be held with chief secretary in the chair, while the second meeting would be presided over by education minister, said sources in the education department.

The last meeting of EDOs, educational boards’ chairmen and controllers of examinations on the subject was held on Jan 17, which had resolved to uphold a previous decision of the education department to continue with the IT subject as a compulsory subject. However, in view of the available facilities and teaching, the meeting had decided to reduce the weightage for the 2003 exams in order to, what a senior official maintained, reduce any anticipated “big gap” between the students of the urban and the rural areas.

About 90,000 students admitted to first-year classes in the year 2001 would appear in the first ever IT examination this year. There are reports that a large number of students would not be able to perform good in the exam as they had not been provided with adequate opportunities and facilities of theory and practical education in the subject.

The IT course had been devised for students of Science, Humanities and Commerce faculties and all those admitted to the first-year classes in 2001 were charged Rs1,000 each in addition to the normal fees. However, later on, contrary to the norms observed in other subjects, the boards decided to hold only one examination against two years of education.

The Sindh education department, which was criticized for haphazardly introducing the subject, not providing the required fund for equipment and manpower, later on reduced the fee to Rs500.

The education department had decided on Jan 17 that it would be mandatory for students of colleges to appear in and pass the IT exam by securing at least 33 marks out of 100, otherwise they would be declared fail in the HSC annual exams.

A source said that the education secretary was told by EDOs that they were all set for holding the IT exam. Only 27 colleges, including three in Karachi, lacked the required facilities, it was maintained, adding that education would be imparted to students by the time they appeared in the exam.

Earlier, the City Nazim had urged the education secretary to ensure that the examinations were held during the current session. Based on a report, he had pointed out that arrangements for conducting the IT classes were satisfactory and that there was no reason for deferring the exam at least in the case of students enrolled with the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi.

The situation was further complicated after a reported statement by education minister on the floor of the Sindh Assembly that “he favoured the introduction of IT education as an optional and not a compulsory subject.”

According to sources in educational circle, the bureaucracy wanted to launch the IT subject without any delay, as they believed that computer had become a day-to-day affair of the modern world and it was beneficial to make it available for the youth.

The sources said that in case of any retreat or failure to continue IT as a compulsory subject, the government would be in an awkward position as it had already collected an amount of about Rs135 million from the first batch of students as IT fee. Any decision to not provide education as per schedule would surely invite litigation and bad name for the government, the sources added.

Not agreeing with the award formula in the IT compulsory examination for the year 2003, a senior educationist said it would complicate the grading system of the educational boards. “The boards are not clear on the issue as they have been asked not to increase the gross total marks of the intermediate exams, but at the same time they are required to reflect the marks obtained by the candidates in the IT subject.”

It had been suggested that the students should appear in the exam, against which they could be issued a separate certificate in IT as an additional qualification, reflecting the marks obtained by the students in the subject.

Thus, even some of the students who failed to clear the IT exam would not need to worry about their overall gradings in the HSC examinations.