PESHAWAR, April 10: The National Education Council on Monday rejected the federal cabinet’s decision to conduct composite examinations of class 9 and 10. It said the NWFP government should emulate the Sindh government which had decided to hold separate examinations of class 9 and 10.
Speaking at a press conference at the press club here, NEC chairman Syed Khalid Shah announced that private schools would not follow the federal government’s decision regarding the start of academic session in September. He said this year, private schools would open in August and next year in April.
“We announce that private schools will not follow the federal government decision regarding the start of new academic session in September, however, if the government tried to impose its decision by force we will be ready to face the challenge,” he said.
He said the federal government had taken the decisions about composite examinations and the start of academic session without taking stakeholders, parents and private institutions, into confidence, therefore the decisions were not acceptable to them.
“Separate examinations are in the best interest of students. The start of academic year in September will put extra burden on parents, instead of providing them any relief,” said Mr Shah. He said combined examinations would increase burden on students and they would have to wait for one year if they failed a subject.
He regretted that instead of taking steps for improving the private education sector, the NWFP government was re-imposing the Term Deposit Receipt (TDR). “We condemn TDR notices issued by the Kohat Secondary Board to private educational institutions and we will not accept the unfair notices,” the NEC chairman said.
He said the provincial government had also yet to establish the NWFP Education Foundation to support private educational institutions. He said private institutions were being treated like commercial organizations as heavy taxes had been imposed on them.
“No law-making body has declared private schools as commercial institutions, therefore they should be treated like other social organizations,” he maintained. He said educational institutions should be exempted from the Employees Old Age Benefit because, according to him, implementation of labour laws in private institutions was unfair.