Shafqat Mehmood vs. the students 

There is an ongoing love-hate relationship between the students and the Federal Education Minister since the covid-19 pandemic began. Unfortunately, it seems to have progressed to extreme hate since the famous social media trend #ShafqatJani has been replaced with #ResignShafqat.

Therefore it seems timely to post-mortem this “hate” against Shafqat Mehmood developed across social media.

But, before getting into that,  all students need to know that Shafqat  Mehmood Sahab is a gentleman member of PTI and one of the most beloved cabinet members. He is the one person who is never loud or rude to any of his colleagues. I remember him as a humble listener from my time in the ISF.

With the third wave encircling the country breaking the virus positivity records of the last year and this year together,  there is extreme anxiety and fear amongst the students across the board; CIEs and the local degrees students alike. The situation however got worse once the neighbouring country switched their Cambridge external assessment from the examination assessed gradings (ESGs) to School Assessed Gradings (SAGs) after other countries around the world. This was the point where the Student movement to push the Government for SAGs for Cambridge exams,  instead of ESGs,  faced the situation that is now completely gone out of control

The movement started with the students in Pakistan demanding the Government to do what the other countries’ governments are doing. It started with a humble request and moved to abusive behaviour (by a few) on social media, which some believe is the reasonfor the Government’s missing the April 17 deadline. However, to me and to many other teachers, the issue is more than just the trolling and abusive language used on social media; it is about the life and death of many students and their parents.

Students approached me when they realised that Shafqat Mehmood won’t pay heed to their online protest, so we decided to protest on streets first and build the pressure. Protests started to take place across Pakistan but on April 12 the NCOC decided that exams will take place.

We decided to approach the courts and on the same day had already gone to the Lahore High Court in a Writ against the decision of the Federal Education Ministry. It was taken up on April 13. Our main grounds were very simple:

1) How can exams take place in halls which the NCOC had closed down, since these Halls would only be breeding-grounds for the spread of the covid-19 virus?

2) Punjab government and NCOC notifications said where positivity rate is more than eight percent all colleges, schools, restaurants and halls would remain closed and also imposed a complete ban on “Large Gatherings;”

3) Globally our students would be at a disadvantage due to relative marking, since all the countries except Pakistan would be marked under the SAGs.

The reply by Cambridge, the British Council and the Federal Ministry was that the exam should take place. SOPs would be strictly observed and on that guarantee the Lahore High Court dismissed our writ on assurance that SOPs would not be violated.

The power of the Federal Minister of Education must be transferred to a committee so a rational outcome can be reached. These children belong to Pakistan and they are the future. We cannot let them hate us.

However, on the very first exam the SOPs violation was witnessed by the whole nation and finally Shafqat Mehmood gave in to the pressure and announced the cancellation of the exams. Initially it sounded like he heard the voice of sanity since he also postponed the local exams by two months. O/A level exams were cancelled and they will be giving exams in the October/November session, which is a resit session. A-level second year students have been given the option of giving exams in May/June as well as October/November.

Things however, got messed up even more after this decision and it is a total chaos right now. Schools have started to condemn the decision of the Federal Education Ministry. Cambridge as per my report is in a state of a shock since it is confused about this stubbornness of the Government. Even it doesn’t know what the government plans to achieve out of this. Meanwhile students are tweeting in further anxiety as confusion. Question remains: Why did Shafqat Mehmood not take the option of SAGs, and why this desperation to put the students under the EAG process?

As a teacher in two universities I myself feel clueless. First of all SAGs for me are a better option than traditional exams any day, since your performance is assessed throughout the year, starting from class tests, presentations, mid-term exams and then mock exams. Everyone knows the majority of people fail such exams. The next issue is, which Shafqat Mehmood has said is his biggest concern, that schools will sell the grades like last year when Teacher-assessed grading took place.

If your regulatory bodies have failed, why make these exams a lifetime nightmare for the students?  Secondly, are lives less important to Shfqat Mahmood than these exams? In these times of uncertainty he should have some mercy on these children.

Thirdly, there is a massive difference between Teachers Assessed Grading and SAGs. The world is moving towards assessment-based performance and today we are not taking this as an opportunity but more of a match between government and students. The students you are talking about who want exams are the ones who didn’t study all year and now want exams as SAGs will reveal their performance.

For O level students, schools already asking them to give fees till October if they want schools to send their admissions to Cambridge. While they’ll be studying for their first year of A level exams they’ll be preparing for average 6-9 subjects of O levels. If they are given SAGs, won’t they be assessed again in A levels? Or during their admission test for different universities?

In the universities, the HEC applied the policy that universities will take online assignments if classes were online. University is the last exam for every student before they go into professional life where no exam will assess them. Even the University of London external LlB program has given online take-home exams. The people who will clear these exams will be lawyers in a few months. With so much relaxation in every part of the education sector, why make O/A level students suffer?

For A Level,  apparently they are only 20,000 students  so they are not an issue. Not realising only a handful of them will be representing Pakistan in top universities in the world. While NUST and many medical colleges have said they won’t be waiting for October//November results. The first year A level students will again be going through hell when they’ll be giving their first-year exam in October/November and then finals in May 2022.

According to the Provincial and Federal Education ministers IF they give SAGs to Cambridge students, then local Board students will want the same. Now this is the argument which shows that we lack leadership since board exams can be postponed, Cambridge exams can’t be postponed. Moreover it’s time for self-reflection as well, as this is admission of the fact that you have failed to improve the local board system in three years. Let’s not forget the $100 million that will be going to the UK through these exams. It seems like there are strong interests involved which are forcing the Ministry to not opt for SAGs.

Meanwhile Shafqat Mehmood has decided to take on students on social media by engaging the state’s social media against these kids who are supposed to be his own children, as he is the Federal Education Minister.

Now with the lack of trust and so much hate, I personally believe the power of the Federal Minister of Education must be transferred to a committee so a rational outcome can be reached. These children belong to Pakistan and they are the future. We cannot let them hate us. Moreover, to these students who have fought hard to get their rights, I personally respect their struggle and their demands. Let’s not hate Shafqat Mehmood but let’s not give in to his stubbornness either.