Soon after Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mehmood announced that educational institutes across the country will be closed from November 26 to January 1 in a bid to control the COVID-19 spread, Pakistani social media was filled with memes as students rejoiced over the decision.
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The Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has agreed to revise the grades issued for the June 2020 series and has announced that the grades will not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school, adding that “if a grade that was issued last week higher than the predicted grade, the higher grade will stand”.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood announced the decision on social media and expressed his relief over the matter.
Mahmood also shared that Prime Minister Imran Khan was “deeply concerned about this issue and asked me to help resolve it”.
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Similarly, Education Minister for Punjab Dr Murad Raas tweeted the official statement of Country Director CAIE which read: “We have decided that grades we issue for the June 2020 series will not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school. Where a grade we issued last week was higher than the predicted grade, the higher grade will stand.”
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown this year had forced CAIE to cancel its May/June 2020 exams worldwide. The examination board later announced that certificates would be awarded without exams under a new four-step assessment mechanism which included teachers’ predicted grades, ranking order, school review/approval and standardisation.
However, after the results were announced last week, students started raising concerns and protested against the grades which were lower than their expectations and previous performance. They believed that Cambridge’s grade prediction system downgraded their qualifications, causing many to lose university placements and essential scholarships. Following the outrage, the government stepped in to assist students and Mahmood on Friday shared that Cambridge agreed to review its grading procedure.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued Friday, CAIE said it had been listening to feedback and suggestions from schools and students and had been “looking carefully at how to act on it.”
“Since we released our results on August 11, we’ve been listening to the feedback and suggestions from our schools and students. We know schools have been pleased that we were able to provide grades in challenging circumstances,” it said.
It added, “We have also heard your concerns about some aspects of our process, and we understand the real anxieties Cambridge students are facing at the moment. We have been looking carefully at how to act on your feedback, and at the same time make sure schools, universities and employers continue to trust our qualifications.”
“On Tuesday, August 18, we will let you know the actions we will take,” it added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the issue at hand was not limited to Pakistan alone. According to a report in BBC, approximately 40% of A-Level results of students in England were downgraded after the exams regulator Ofqual used an algorithm based on a schools’ previous results. This sparked outrage among the public following which the UK government, after discussing the matter, announced that A-level and GCSE students in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm.
Federal Education Minister on Monday said the government was considering reopening of schools under the implementation of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Talking to the media after a meeting at the minister’s office, the minister said suggestions had been taken from the private schools and Madaris of all provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Mahmood said a meeting had also been arranged with the Ministry of Health in this regard, and that the decision would be taken keeping in view the NCOC data. He said the education ministry also discussed with those countries that had opened schools under various SOPs through UNICEF.
The minister said according to the Gallup Survey, around 70% of parents were willing to send their children to school under COVID-19 SOPs.
“We want to end the uncertainty on the basic important issue like education,” he said.
The minister hinted at holding a press conference on the issue to take parents into confidence after the preparation of a road map.
While the Provincial Minister of Punjab for School Education took to Twitter and stated that there is no definite date announced for reopening of schools in the province.
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood has announced the cancellation of all board exams across the country as the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen.
Speaking after the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting in Islamabad Thursday, Mehmood said that all provinces have decided to keep schools closed till July 15, whereas all students of grades 9 and 10, besides those of intermediate parts I and II, will be promoted on the basis of their results from the previous class.
“All board exams have been cancelled and students of class 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be promoted for the next class on the basis of results obtained in the previous class,” he said, adding that student can seek admissions to universities on the basis of their results from the 11th grade.
The minister further said that the decision was taken with the consensus of all provinces and students will be able to enroll in the next class as soon as schools reopen in July.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to begin lifting lockdown restrictions from Saturday (May 9), Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced.
Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has said that the federal government would soon announce a uniform curriculum for the entire country to end disparity between different educational systems in the country.
“We are in the process of making curriculum for all children across Pakistan, and kids enrolled with government-run or private schools or even madrassas will be taught only one curriculum,” the federal minister was quoted as saying by The Nation at the concluding session of the three-day celebrations in connection with Quaid Day on Wednesday.
Addressing the event organised by Sindh Madrassatul Islam University, Mehmood said the country was riddled with different systems of education, therefore, the government wanted to introduce a uniform curriculum.
“These different systems of education have divided the country’s philosophy, and a uniform syllabus will help put an end to this condition,” he said, adding that Tanzeemul Madaris had also accepted his ministry’s suggestion, according to which children in madrassas would be required to appear in matriculation and intermediate examinations.
Earlier this year, the Punjab government had also promised a uniform curriculum at least for primary schools in the province from 2020.
“A uniform curriculum for primary schools in the province will be introduced by March 2020,” Schools Education Minister Murad Raas had told the Punjab Assembly in January. Responding to a written question in the provincial house, he had said the curriculum would also include a certain portion of religious teachings and that uniform syllabus for higher levels would be introduced in due course.
Replying to a query about existence of both English and Urdu mediums in state-run schools, he had chided former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif for it saying the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader introduced English medium without making available teachers for the purpose.
He said English would be taught in primary schools as a language and other subjects would be taught in Urdu.
Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has been unanimously elected as President of UNESCO’s prestigious Education Commission in Paris.
The Minister was recently in Paris for the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference which he also addressed.
Speaking at the event, Mahmood said that at least 1.5 million Kashmiri students were not able to attend schools since the “unilateral and illegal revocation” of Kashmir’s autonomy by India on 5th August.
Mahmood called upon UNESCO to use its moral authority to persuade the Indian government to lift restrictions and restore the fundamental rights of the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He also expressed his dismay at the decision of the Babri Masjid.
More so, the minister also shared that Pakistan is taking concrete steps to deliver universal quality education in the country.
Speaking after the election, the Minister termed it as an honour for Pakistan and an acknowledgment of its commitment to UNESCO’s work in the field of education.
The Minister said being the President of UNESCO’s Education Commission, he would work closely with all delegations in a constructive manner in pursuance of UNESCO’s objectives.
Meanwhile, when a Twitter user commented that Mahmood will now direct all his energies towards working for UNESCO, the Minister told him that the position was “voluntary” and without any salary or any other perk.