Shafqat visits Cambridge exam centre

By Our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood on Monday paid a visit to a Cambridge examination centre where he saw a lot of students crowded into one space.

The minister took to Twitter to state that he spoke to the Head of the British Council and Cambridge Pakistan, asking them to ensure exam centres were not jampacked.

"Visited an exam centre today with Head of British Council and Cambridge Pakistan. SOPs were being strictly observed including social distancing etc. But, the number of people in one room was large. Have asked them to drastically reduce it," he tweeted.

Despite the mounting pressure from students who demanded the cancellation of exams amid an intensifying coronavirus situation, Cambridge examinations have started from today (Monday) with strict coronavirus standard operating procedures in place across Pakistan. Extending good wishes to the appearing candidates on Twitter, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood said that these are tough times and difficult decisions have been made keeping the student's best interest in view. "British Council is committed to strict implementation of SOPs and we will monitor them closely. Good Luck!" the federal minister said in a tweet. A Level examinations under Cambridge International started across Pakistan on Monday in approximately 100 examination centres in which around 35,000 candidates are appearing. In the first phase, A Level examinations will continue till June 11 while in the second phase, O Level examinations will begin on May 10. Some 55,000 students are expected to appear across Pakistan in O Level exams.

In Lahore, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz visited an exam centre and showed his satisfaction. It is pertinent to mention here that a large number candidates had been highlighting their concerns on social media about the exams while demonstrations were also held in different parts of the country including Lahore in the recent past. The students had argued COVID-19 worsening situation as well as little time for preparation in the wake of closure of education intuitions.

Meanwhile, the conduct of A Level exams despite surge in COVID-19 cases attracted widespread criticism from different sections of the society, particularly on social media.

In a tweet, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz expressed concerns in this regard. “At a loss to understand why GOP hell bent on imperiling lives of children by forcing them to take Cambridge exams when it has miserably failed to provide a safe environment. GOP to be held responsible if a single child contracts COVID-19.

Will IK take the same decision for his sons?” she wrote in her tweet. Similarly, noted lawyer Jibran Nasir tweeted: “The rush in A Level exams is nothing compared to O Level exams. A Level students choose a maximum of 4 subjects on average for a list of many as opposed to O Levels which have compulsory 8 to 9 papers. In simple words, every O Level student gives a math exam but not every A Level one.”