ISLAMABAD: Almost a week after the National Coordination Committee`s decision to cancel all the board examinations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, federal Minister for EducationShafgat Mahmood on Thursday announced the examination and promotion policy, aimed at ending restlessness among students.

The minister revealed the policy at a press conference he addressed after attending an online Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC).

The policy, titled `IBCC Promotion Guideline for Matric and Intermediate students`, was prepared by the Inter Board Committee Chairmen (IBCC) and Federal Education Ministry after consultation with 29 educational boards, which was approved by the IPEMC.

According to the policy, all students of grades 10 and 12, who hadcleared all the subjects in their 9th and lith class exams, will be declared passed on the basis of their previous results. These students will also be given three per cent additional marks to their total, as statistic revealed that students always get more scores in 10th and 12th grade when compared to 9th and 11th classes.

The minister said the policy dealt with the cases of students ofsecondary and higher secondary schools in five different categories.

According to him, it has been decided that all students of grades 9 and 11 are to be promoted to grade 10 and 12, respectively.

`This will allow 100 per cent of regular and private students of 9th and 11th grades to advance to the next level,` he said.

The minister said it had been decided that the students promoted to grades 10 and 12 would not take composite exams next year.

Explaining, he said these students would only be required to study the syllabus of grades 10 and 12for the exams to be conducted in 2021.

`The grade 9th and lith scores of these students will be calculated based on their grades 10th and 12th performance next year,` the minister said.

Mr Mahmood said it had been decided that the students appearing in grades 10th and 12th examinations, who had failed up to 40pc of grades 9th and 11th subjects, would also be promoted after awarding them passing marks.

According to the minister, a special examination would be held sometime between September and November for the students in four different categories.

These exams will be conducted for those students who were not satisfied with their grade 11th results and wanted to improve by taking grade 12th exams; those who were taking composite exams and had no grade 11th results to rely on (private students); for those wanting to appear in additional subjects and those who failed in more than 40pc of the subjects in grades9thand11th.

The minister said the scores of individual subjects for part II(both theory and practical) would not be mentioned in the transcripts of the certificates, adding that only an aggregate score of 1,100 and an overall grade based on the aggregate score will be awarded to students for qualifications. He said the boards would mention in the transcript and in the certificate that the marks awarded for part II were based on the best predication of the performance and on the basis of the formula and guideline approved by the government and recognised by Inter Board Committee Chairmen (IBCC). The minister said grades 10th and 12th students, who wished to sit in the special examinations for any reasons, should inform their respective boards by July 1, 2020.

Some students told Dawn they passed their ESc last year getting around 90pc marks, but could not get admissions to medical colleges.

Therefore, they said, they got themselves registered with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education to sit in two additional papers of mathematics to get admissions in engineering universities. `Our exams of two additional papers was slated to be held in April, but that were cancelled and now we are allowed to sit in special exams to be held between September and November, that means, we are not be able to sit in entry test of engineering univer sities.