Grade VIII board examination: PHC vacates stay order on KP govt’s decision

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday vacated stay order on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's decision which had directed both the government and private educational institutions to conduct Grade VIII board examination in the province in the academic year 2019-20.

A division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Abdul Shakoor vacated the stay order on the KP government decision and asked the students to make preparation for examinations in 2020.

The provincial government on May 17, 2019 circulated a notification that approved assessment/examination for Grade VIII for the academic year 2019-20. In previous hearing, the court had stayed the examination in a writ petition of grade-VIII student Muhammad Zaid Bacha, a student of Islamia Collegiate High School.

Appearing before the bench, the secretary Education informed the court that the government had taken the decision in the best interest of the students as private educational institutions taught the course of 9th class instead of grade-VIII.

He submitted that the government had decided to conduct 9th and 10th examination as a whole. At this, Justice Qaiser Rashid observed that the government should not bring overnight changes in the education system.

Muhammad Irshad Mohmand, counsel for the student, submitted that the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar had issued a notification stating that from the next academic year 2019-20 the grade-VIII assessment would be replaced by formal board examination and in lieu thereof the BISE examination of Grade -IX and Grade-X will be taken as composite.

He submitted that the students had less time to be prepared for the examination. After hearing arguments, the court vacated the stay order. The bench also inquired about implementation of the court's order to set weight limit for schoolbags. The secretary Education informed the bench that a draft bill for regulating the weight limit for schoolbags would be prepared by October and tabled before the assembly for passage.