KARACHI, May 1: Academic activities, including the annual examinations of the educational boards, that remained suspended in government schools and colleges are likely to resume after a lapse of 10 days on May 3.
Government educational institutions right upto the universities were asked to put off all sorts of examinations in order to facilitate for the training of teaching and non-teaching staff listed for referendum duties in the province. Now the fever is over and hopefully the activities at government schools and colleges would resume, said a school-teacher, adding teaching for the new academic session in most of the schools would start when students would resume after referendum and May 1 holidays.
The Sindh education department, through a circular, had asked all the educational boards and universities to suspend all the examinations till the holding of referendum. The students of different boards and universities, including NED University of Engineering and Technology, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Sindh University, University of Karachi, Shah Latif University and Agriculture University, besides their affiliated units had to suffer one way or the other.
The closure of educational institutions affected the studies of those appearing in HSC annual examinations. In the case of college students in the interior of Sindh, examinations were suspended after the holding of a good number of papers.
The students of Karachi colleges are still to make a start as their examinations could not be conducted as per schedule announced by the steering committee of the Sindh Education Department. Under the steering committee’s decision, the HSC annual examinations were to commence on April 15, but the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, deferred the examinations till April 25 and then after it were the referendum duties and requisition of educational institutions building that caused another 10-day suspension in intermediate examinations in the city.
Practical examinations of the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, were also postponed for 15 days in the wake of referendum and now the deferred practical would be completed by June 12, provided there was no further havoc to the process of teaching and examinations.
Now the intermediate class theory examinations are scheduled to commence on May 3, while the SSC annual practical would resume on May 6. In the meantime, the admissions to MBBS classes in government-run colleges have been planned for last week of September, while admission process at NED university is likely to take off in the mid of September, sources said.
Affected students, however, blamed the government and the educational bosses in the province for poor planning. They said it was non-realisation of ground realities and improper monitoring of the affairs of the educational board that examinations are announced and then shifted whimsically, ignoring the mental and physical agony that students had to under go.
They said occupation of educational buildings for referendum was nothing but poor planning. You know polling stations were set up along roads and near intersections largely, while on the other hand educational buildings remained unutilised during the referendum, said an Intermediate class student.
Out of 40,000 teaching and non-teaching staff, only about 10,000 were involved for referendum duties, and as such it may be stated that staff at government colleges could have been spared for conducting HSC examinations as per schedule, said a senior college teacher.
Students said planners and the rulers appeared least concerned about the students and the academic process. However, they urged them to cause no further delay in the conduct of examinations as it would affect, particularly the students of Sindh and Karachi, who would be left behind the students of other province as far as admissions to professional colleges were concerned.
A strike call by the Muttahidda Qaumi Movement, urging the transporters traders and industrialists to put of their business for May 2, is also to take further toll of the academic activities. Many of the parents expressed the view that it would be impossible for them to go out or send their wards to schools and colleges in any uncertain condition.
BIE PREPARATIONS: A senior official at the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, said that examination materialand answer books had already been sent to the examination centre and he did not see any problem in kicking off the HSC-2002 on May 3.
On May 3, a minor paper (Geology-I) for Pre-Engineering group students is scheduled at three colleges, i.e. St Lawrence Govt Girls College and Govt Islamia Arts and Commerce College, in the second shift (3pm to 6 pm), which would require a minimum number of examination staff. Home Economics examinations would also commence on May 3.
Meanwhile, the BIE, Karachi, has sent a list of centres to local administration, law enforcing agencies, Nazims and DCOs, where HSC examinations would be held from May 3 onwards and board thinks that these were sensitive points. “In order to refrain the unwanted persons and vested interests from making undue interference in the examination process, we need extra police coverage in the vicinity of the sensitive centres,” said the board official.
The sensitive centres as determined by the Board are as follows: Govt Degree Science College, Lyari;Govt Comprehensive Higher Secondary School, Korangi-3; Govt Boys Higher Secondary School, K Area, Korangi; St Patrick’s Govt College, Saddar; Sirajuddaula Govt College, Federal Capital Area;Govt College for Women, Korangi-4; Govt College for Women, Korangi-6; Jamia Millia Govt College, Malir; Jamia Millia Govt College of Education, Malir; Superior Govt Science College, Shah Faisal Colony; Govt Degree Science College, Landhi-Korangi; City Govt College, Moosa Colony, Federal B Area.