Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced Sunday confirmed that the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) date sheet will be followed for the A, AS, O level and IGCSE exams.
The above was announced by the education minister in a series of tweets following a meeting with education and health ministers from all the provinces, as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
“There will be no delay or cancellation,” he said.
Moreover, he stated that those students who wish to take their CIEs in the October/November session instead will be allowed to do so in the same fee they have paid already.
“Meeting was also informed that Cambridge has decided not to give teacher assessed grades this year therefore those not taking exams will take them in the next cycle Oct/Nov,” the minister said on the mirco-blogging site.
Cambridge has also assured that all standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be strictly followed, the education minister added.
Last month, Shafqat had announced annual assessments for O-level and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), previously due to start on May 15, would now begin from May 10.
In a tweet, the minister had said that the decision was taken at the request of CAIE.
“After consultation with provinces/stakeholders we have agreed. Now O level/IGCSE [exams] will start from May 10,” the tweet had read.
In an attached letter, CAIE chief executive officer (CEO) Christine Ozden had said that the earlier start would “help us to enable many more students to progress and their equivalence in the education system will be fairer as they will have a better chance to demonstrate what they have learnt”.
Meanwhile, Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas announced on Sunday that in-person classes for classes 9-12 in coronavirus-affected districts of the province will resume from Monday with 50 per cent attendance on alternate days.
“Classes 9,10,11,12 will open tomorrow April 19th, 2021 with 50% students on Monday and 50% on Thursday,” he said in a tweet.
In March, educational institutions in seven cities of Punjab were closed down for two weeks in light of rising Covid-19 cases.
Raas said that a staggered approach will be implemented in order to mitigate the virus spread.
He was referring to an earlier tweet in which he had announced the resumptions of classes for grades 9-12 in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan.
The minister had said the remaining districts would follow their regular schedule.
On the other hand, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced on Sunday that the provincial government has suspended classes for grade 1 to grade 8 till May 1.
The government initially suspended grade 1-8 classes for two weeks starting April 6. However, it has now extended the suspension in all public and private schools across the province.
The decision was taken in view of a surge in coronavirus infections, Ghani said on Twitter. Educational institutes may continue to educate students online, through homework and other sources, he said.
Classes for 9th, 10th and 11th and 12th grades may continue with 50% attendance in schools and colleges, according to the minister.
Educational institutes will be bound to strictly follow the coronavirus SOPs.
