Academic year of thousands of students wasted

KARACHI: The academic year of thousands of students willing to pass intermediate in various subjects from Karachi has been wasted and their journey for higher studies has suspended due to the alleged incompetence of the government of Sindh.

Last year, neither did the government allow these students to pass intermediate under the promotion policy and nor did it conduct their examinations.

Also Read: Coronavirus: “Cancel exams” trends in Pakistan amid rise in cases

Children who had switched faculties from science to commerce or arts, those who had migrated from other boards and Cambridge system, and the ones who had sought permission for last chance to sit in the exams were over looked in the promotion policy.

The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) has been seeking permission for months to promote these students like thousands of other students were promoted under the previous promotion policy but the government of Sindh and the relevant department, Sindh Universities and Boards Department, are not taking any action in this regard.

This situation has created a risk that more time of these students may be wasted.

According to the sources affiliated with the BIEK, the number of these students from four different categories is around 7,000. These categories include TP combined 12 papers of Intermediate part I and II, advance and short subjects like A-levels students and others who pass exams from different institutions, special and last chance students, besides those having benefit of passed compulsory subjects.

Officials told The Express Tribune that last year, when the Department of School and College Education and the Department of Universities and Boards jointly worked with the chairpersons of different educational boards to formulate a promotion policy for matric and intermediate students, the students in these four categories were ignored.

This draft became a law after being approved by the Sindh Assembly and thousands of students at matriculation and intermediate level were promoted to the next classes on its basis. However, the students of the above mentioned categories could not benefit from this policy and their precious year was wasted.

A notification was issued, clearly stating that special examinations will be held for the students who could not appear in the examination or were not satisfied with their results and the students of four categories were assured that they would be able to participate in the special examination, to be held in few days.

BIEK collected the examination forms and fees from thousands of these students, but the examination could not be held due to the second wave of coronavirus.

It was revealed that the BIEK administration took the matter to its Board of Governors a few months ago, where it was decided to put the matter before the relevant authority and request it to conduct examinations for these students or promote them by awarding 3% additional marks in their previous academic results, like the thousands of other students.

Also Read: Digital Albert Einstein is here to help you with your science homework

Following this, BIEK wrote a letter to Department of Boards and Universities Secretary Ilmuddin Balo on February 9, demanding a guideline for conducting examination or implementing the promotion policy. However, the letter wasn't responded.

The sources affiliated with Department of Universities and Boards say that Balo never comes to the office but the files and cases are sent to his house. They claimed that the file of this case had been sent to Balo's house about one and a half month ago but instead of looking into it, he forwarded the matter to Sindh Chief Minister's advisor for Universities and Boards Nisar Khuhro.

Given that Khuhro is out of country for a visit in the USA, the case may await a decision further more.

The students who had been promoted under the promotion policies have joined colleges and universities by now while these 7000 students are still waiting for examination or promotions.

When contacted, Balo avoided responding phone calls and messages sent to know his stance on the matter.

According to an affected student who had submitted an application of change of faculty from science to commerce, her file was ready for signing, but could not move from room 52 to 10A due to announcement of Covid lockdown. "Me and my mother had to run from pole to post to get it signed and submitted a day before the deadline of filing enrolment forms," she told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2021.