Students Unable to Apply for Admissions as Promotion Policy Raises Eyebrows

Despite securing 33% passing marks in inter results, thousands of students face the prospect of not being able to pursue higher education. It is because most universities in the country require students to have a minimum of 45% in inter exams to seek admission.

Note that the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) had enforced the Promotion Examination Policy 2021 due to extraordinary circumstances following the Coronavirus pandemic.

Under the policy, the exams of matric and inter comprised only of elective subjects. The marks taken in elective subjects were proportionately given in compulsory subjects in addition to 5% extra marks. The policy also required all educational boards to grant passing marks to all students irrespective of their poor exams.

As a result, record-breaking matric and inter results were witnessed in 2021. While hundreds of students secured full marks and thousands received unexpectedly high marks, a large number of students were given the minimum passing marks of 33% despite unsatisfactory performance in the exams.

Speaking in this regard, Chairman Sindh Board Committee of Chairmen (SBCC) and Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), Prof. Dr. Saeeduddin, said that 33% passing marks are of no use for thousands of students as they cannot apply to any university.

Although such students would be regarded as ‘literate,’ they would end up working low-paying jobs because they wouldn’t have higher education degrees to land high-paying jobs.

Chairman BIEK and SBCC recommended the IPEMC to set the criteria of minimum passing marks equal to the minimum marks required by the universities in the future in case a similar policy is needed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.