The Punjab government is considering expanding the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) examination system to private schools following the successful conduct of Grade 8 board examinations in government schools.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said nearly one million students appeared in Grade 8 examinations under PECTAA during the last academic year. He said the results were compiled and announced within one and a half months through an on-screen marking system.
According to the minister, the digital marking process proved highly effective, with no errors identified during the assessment process. He said the experience of conducting board examinations for one million students was a major achievement for the province’s education system.
Hayat said the government is now reviewing proposals to bring private schools into the PECTAA examination framework to help establish a more uniform and transparent assessment system across Punjab.
He added that the scope of Grade 8 board examinations will be further expanded next year, while the performance of the on-screen marking system has demonstrated its reliability and efficiency.
Education experts said the digital marking system has improved transparency, accuracy and the timely announcement of examination results, making it a potentially viable model for wider implementation across the province’s public and private education sectors.
