Tag: education department

  • Financial crunch in KP: Textbook size to be cut down

    Financial crunch in KP: Textbook size to be cut down

    The caretaker setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has come up with a new plan to make do with the scarcity of funds. According to Dawn, the provincial government did not release the funds required by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board to publish course books due to the financial crisis in the last three years.

    In the meantime, the government provided books to students free of charge.

    The caretaker government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided in the last cabinet meeting to reduce the size of textbooks and provide half of schoolchildren with old course books hoping this will save over three billion rupees for printing books.

    The printing of books in the upcoming academic year 2023-24 was estimated to cost Rs8.528 billion but the amount will go down to Rs5.247 billion by cutting the size of textbooks and providing 50 percent of schoolchildren with the books that were collected from the students after their promotion to next grades.

    As per the report, the government is on a saving spree, and for that, 6-12 graders will be given 50 percent of old books to be collected by schools from students promoted to the next grades. The government says that only the books in good condition will be given away to students with the move saving the government Rs1.8 billion, according to the documents.

    The students of grades 4-5 will use 20 percent of the old books saving the government Rs334 million.

    Reducing the textbook size from nursery-grade 12 will save the government Rs. 1.1 billion.

    Dawn’s Muhammad Ashfaq talked to officials in the Education department of the province who stated that downsizing of textbooks and distribution of old books to school children came “under compulsion” as the finance department didn’t release funds for printing textbooks to the board on time. They said that even the total payment of Rs 10 billion to printing companies for the previous year was done in piecemeal. This time around, printing companies have shown no interest although the bid was announced multiple times.

    The officials feared a two-month learning loss for schoolchildren in the next academic year saying the publishers won’t be able to deliver orders by the end of May.

  • Cambridge grading system under fire after outrage from Pakistani students

    Cambridge grading system under fire after outrage from Pakistani students

    Pakistani students have slammed Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) after results for 2023 examinations came to light.

    Cambridge exams were disrupted in Pakistan due to riots on May 9 and 12. However, instead of rescheduling the affected papers, Cambridge allegedly opted to allocate average marks.
    The announcement of the results, on August 10, has stirred frustration among students across Pakistan, as only a small number managed to attain A and B grades. More than 45,000 students appeared in the exams.

    In response, students expressed their intent to stage peaceful protests in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore, to highlight what they perceive as an injustice done by Cambridge.

    Outraged students have turned to social media, urging a rescheduling of the exams to provide them with a fair opportunity to showcase their capabilities and receive grades reflective of their performance.

    Students took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to run an online campaign and raise their concerns regarding the issue.

    X user, Muhammad Awais Sial mentioned that Cambridge graded them on components where scoring marks are inevitable.
    https://twitter.com/MASial34789939/status/1690045360998322176?s=20

    https://twitter.com/MASial34789939/status/1690045360998322176?s=20

    Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Maryam Nawaz, also expressed concerns, stating that numerous students have reached out to her. She urged the CIE to consider the conditions in which students sat during these exams while reviewing the results on fairgrounds.

    Chief organiser of President Punjab PML(N), Mohammad Sarwar mentioned that he has been contacted by students who are disheartened after receiving E grades. The former chief minister of Punjab stated that he has reached out to a member of the House of Lords, Wajid Khan, for support in urging CIE to review their grading process.

    Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir explained the issue in detail while demanding that “Cambridge Assessment International Education and British Council Pakistan needs to provide details and transparency in the mechanism adopted this year and it must ensure that students of Pakistan did not suffer in particular due to some discriminatory or flawed policy.”

    Addressing the concerned Cambridge students, Uzma Yousuf, the Country Director for CAIE Pakistan, stated, “Cancelling the exams on 10, 11 and 12 May has been a difficult decision for the British Council. Your safety and well-being come first, and that’s why this decision was taken.”

    She further added, “Our team is continuously monitoring the situation, and we will keep you updated as we have more information. We are completely committed to providing a safe and secure environment for you to sit for your exams.”

  • Punjab boards to announce matric, intermediate results in 48 hours

    Punjab boards to announce matric, intermediate results in 48 hours

    All Punjab education boards will announce the results of the Matric and Intermediate Annual Examinations 2021 within 48 hours, reports Khalid Khattak for Geo News.

    Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz said that all the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs) had already prepared results, expressing the hope that the results would be announced soon in Punjab.

    There are a total of nine education boards in Punjab including BISE of Lahore, DG Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, and Sahiwal.

    Students gave their board exams in August and since then no result date was announced.

    To facilitate students, it was also decided that all candidates who failed in any subject would be given 33 per cent marks for the purpose of computing averages.

  • Aagha Ali urges government to postpone exams

    Aagha Ali urges government to postpone exams

    Aagha Ali has extended his support to students demanding exams be delayed and urged authorities to postpone them in wake of rising COVID-19 cases.

    “I’ve been getting 100s of messages from students [from] all over the country and trust me, all they say makes sense. Almost all institutes, schools and colleges have been closed and we all know how useful online classes were,” said Ali.

    The actor further said: “Apart from this, the new wave of corona is here and getting worse every day…and is taking many lives.”

    “Is this risk really worth it?,” he questioned. “Please postpone the exams or promote the students on their previous records.”

    Ali added: “The whole country has been going through a lot of pressure and this is only giving students extreme mental stress.”

    Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on April 18 had confirmed that A, AS, O’ Level and IGCSE exams will be held as per the date sheet announced by CAIES and there will be no cancellation or delay in the exams. Mahmood had added that those students wishing to take the exams in October-November can do it for the same fee that they’ve already paid.

    Following his announcement, several celebrities including Asim Azhar requested the government to postpone the exams considering the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

    Meanwhile, Twitter raged with students advocating for the cancellation of board exams this year, saying their learning schedules had been deeply disturbed this year. Several students also protested on the streets so that the government takes proper notice of their demands.

    #ExamCancelHoga, #ImranKhanCancelExam and #ShafqatMahmood were also among the top trends on the micro-blogging site.

    Mansha Pasha also expressed support for the students saying that she was proud of her husband Jibran Nasir for advocating for them.

    YouTuber Shahveer Jafry has also requested the government to postpone exams in his tweets:

    LHC, IHC and PHC have dismissed the petitions of the Cambridge students. Sindh High Court now will announce the verdict on Friday at 4 pm.

  • HEC reportedly revises policy for PhD admissions

    HEC reportedly revises policy for PhD admissions

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has reportedly revised its policy for PhD admissions on January 1, 2021.

    According to reports, under the revised policy, students can also apply for PhD directly after four-year BS programs. The policy states that the minimum duration of a PhD degree will be three years while the maximum duration of the degree will be eight years.

    It has also abolished the requirement of having a previous qualification in the same discipline in order to apply for a specific PhD program.

    In case of non-implementation or violation of the policy, HEC would take action against universities ranging from warnings, suspension or revocation of NOC for admissions, and non-verification of credentials.

    Meanwhile, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has expressed serious concerns and rejected the revised policy by the HEC.

    It is pertinent to add that the HEC has not yet officially announced the new policy.

  • Noor Khadija becomes first female head of South Waziristan’s education department

    Noor Khadija becomes first female head of South Waziristan’s education department

    For the very first time, the South Waziristan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has hired a woman as the head of the Education Department.

    As per reports, the area has the lowest female literacy rate in the country.

    Noor Khadija, who comes from a family of educators and has been linked with the education department for ten years, was appointed South Waziristan’s deputy district education officer in August.

    “It was my long-standing desire to serve my community, specifically girls, to remove obstacles in the way of their education,” Khadija told a local media outlet.

    A portrait of Fatima Jinnah hangs on the wall in Khadija’s office.

    “As a woman, Fatima Jinnah proved that women could make a difference and play a decisive role to lead the society for positive change,” Khadija said.

    “I will strive to provide girls schools with all missing facilities, to empower girls through education, which is of paramount importance for a vibrant society,” she added.