In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the quality of education has been in constant decline for more than a decade, as evidenced by the latest decision of public sector schools to promote students who obtained as low as 10 per cent marks in the annual exams.
While the usual passing grade in Pakistan is 33 per cent marks, the PTI government in K-P had adopted a policy of passing students with only 10 per cent marks in its public schools, purportedly to reduce the drop-out rate.
However, education experts and concerned citizens have criticized this move as a short-sighted measure that compromises the standards and outcomes of education.
Official sources told The Express Tribune that the policy has been adopted on the directives of the provincial government.
On March 31, government schools announced results of class 1 to class 8. The government had already directed the district education officers to keep the percentage of failed students to a minimum so as to encourage students.
According to an official, district education officers (EDO) called meetings attended by school heads to inform them about a policy that allows students to pass with only 10% of the total marks (50 out of 500). This is a disconcerting example of the decline of the education system in the province, as it suggests a lowering of academic standards.
The majority of students who passed with such low marks were from rural areas in Peshawar, highlighting the need for targeted support and investment in these communities.
The policy to automatically move all students to the next grade after annual exams was introduced by the Awami National Party (ANP)-led coalition government, with the aim of reducing drop-out rates. However, this approach risks devaluing education and undermining the long-term prospects of students.
In 2022, the policy was further extended to allow students in grades 1 to 5 to pass with just 5 to 8% marks, while those in grades 6 to 8 were required to achieve only 15 to 18% marks, compared to the traditional benchmark of 33%. This raises serious questions about the quality of education being provided and the effectiveness of the government’s approach to improving education outcomes.
The education system in our country has been following a policy for the past 16 years that prohibits failing any student. This policy was put in place to prevent students from feeling discouraged and dropping out of school, as well as to increase the literacy rate. However, this policy has received significant criticism from high school headmasters who complain about enrolling students in grade six who cannot even write their own names.
Teachers have been against this policy from day one but were not involved in the policymaking process, which was formulated behind closed doors by ministers and bureaucrats without considering the opinions of all stakeholders. As a result, many teachers feel that students who enter high school without proper qualifications can be a burden on them.
It is crucial that the government re-evaluates this policy, which has been tried and tested for the past 16 years without success. High schools should be allowed to conduct qualification tests for students entering grade six to ensure that they have the necessary skills to succeed. Additionally, the government should reintroduce board exams for grade five and eight to provide a more accurate measure of a student’s progress and ensure that they are adequately prepared for higher education.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2023.
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