KARACHI, April 15: In view of the recent developments and law and order situation in the city, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has exclusively allowed the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Karachi, to delay the commencement of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) part-II annual exams for one week.

A BSE official said on Saturday that the board had requested the governor, who is also the controlling authority of the BSE, to grant approval of changing the date for the commencement of annual exams of Class X students. Now the exams would commence on April 25, instead of April 18, he said.

It was learnt that the BSE had handed over the admit cards of regular candidates to their respective schools in phases by April 10, many of which could not be distributed to students in time.

Due to holiday of Eid Milad (SAW) holiday and three protest and mourning over the loss of many lives in a tragic bombing incident at the Nishtar Park on April 11, a good number of students had been unable to report to their educational institutions for collection of admit cards, a must for entry to examination centres and other related activities, said the official.

Lately, the BSEK through fax has been told by the Governor House that date of commencement may be extended to April 25 for the convenience of candidates, said Mohammad Saleem Khan, the BSE controller of examination.

He said that sequence of papers of Science and General groups’ exams would remain as it had been given in the date sheets issued earlier by the board. Timings and centres of examination will remain unchanged.

According to the revised schedule of exams issued by BSE on Saturday, there will be English (Compulsory) Paper II for regular and private students of General group from 9am to 12 noon and English (Compulsory) Paper I for science group from 2pm to 5pm on April 25.

Examinations of the science and general groups will conclude on May 11. In the meantime, an official in the Governor House told Dawn that the permission for extension in dates had been accorded to BSE Karachi only, while other boards would hold SSC–II exams as per schedule announced earlier.