Candidates want new FBISE exam policy enforced this year

Islamabad: While welcoming the decision of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) to hold two matriculation and intermediate exams annually from 2022, many candidates have demanded the immediate implementation of the new exam policy to address their learning losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the policy shift, two annual exams of the Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate courses will take place every year from 2022, one in May and the other in September.

The board insists the innovative and futuristic move will benefit both students and cause of education.

The new exam policy has also sat well with most students, who think it will ease the process of qualifying various benchmarks of academic growth. However, many, whose learning is affected by the pandemic-induced restrictions, want the board to enforce the policy in the current academic session instead of the next.

According to them, currently, the board holds two SSC and HSSC exams a year i.e. annual and supplementary. Only those, who have failed SSC-II and HSSC-II exams, can sit the supplementary exam. The supplementary exam restriction for the candidate, who fail in SSC-I or HSSC-I annual exam, adds to their academic burden.

The teachers also second the call for the immediate implementation of the new exam policy.

An assistant professor at the Islamabad Model College for Girls (Postgraduate) told ‘The News’ that with the current exam system offering limited chances, failure in some papers caused loss of confidence and issues of mental and physical health among many candidates, especially girls.

“Sometimes, such pressure causes students to lose interest in studies and therefore, they drop out. Under the new exam policy, multiple chances will be available to the candidates, who fail in one or more papers, to clear them and continue the journey of their academic life.

“Also, education will be accessible to the youth, who have to work for livelihood. Students can choose the first or second exam according to their convenience,” she said.

A girls college’s vice-principal said the best part of the new exam policy was that it enabled students to learn at own pace and develop academic plan in line with own interest and learning preferences.

She said unlike traditional exams, the new policy would make both teaching and learning easier.

The vice-principal insisted, “This new system of exam with flexible approach promises students more chances to remain in the stream of academic life instead of being pushed out by the current one after the availing of limited chances. It also enables teachers to be confident in the accuracy of their judgements about every student. The initiative will not only involve students more throughout the year but also reduces examination burden,” she said.

Parents also threw their weight behind the demand.

Muhammad Ashraf, a government officer and a father of three, said in the wake of pandemic-caused educational crisis, the benefit of the FBISE’s new exam policy should be extended to the students, who would sit the coming exam.

He said there was uncertainty about how long schools would remain closed affecting the student learning negatively.

“In view of the apprehensions about further learning losses, it is feared that a large number of students will lag behind. Unfortunately, it has already affected the students’ motivation, concentration, and social interactions and therefore, the new exam policy should be implemented with immediate effect,” he said.

Ibadur Rehman, a HSSC-II student at the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College, H-8, said the current FBISE exam system caused students mental stress and anxiety due to the limited opportunities to sit the exam but the new policy was student-friendly. He demanded the federal board enforce the new exam policy in 2021 and not 2022.