PESHAWAR: The stubborn attitude of private schools to teach the subjects of 9th grade to the students of 8th class has resulted in wastage of two precious months of the students as the education department has decided to conduct 8th grade examination through the educational boards, according to sources.

“Since long, the private educational institutions have been skipping the course for the 8th grade and teaching the students the course of 9th grade aimed at getting maximum marks in the board examination,” they said.

Sources in elementary and secondary education department said that in such a way, the private educational institutions taught the two-year course for 9th and 10th grade in three years.

The decision to conduct the 8th grade examinations through the board of intermediate and secondary education was notified by the elementary and secondary education on February 18.

Besides other government departments, the notification was sent to all education boards and private schools regulatory authority for implementation of the decision.

Two months of eight graders wasted as they were taught 9th grade course

Sources said that the education department notified its decision two months prior to the start of the academic year. As usual, sources said, the private educational institutions didn’t take the education department’s decision seriously.

However, the owners of the private schools were surprised when the education boards informed them on May 17 that the upcoming annual examinations for the 8th grade would be conducted by the education boards.

After teaching the subjects for 9th grade to the eight graders for two months, now the administration of the private educational institutions has asked the students to purchase textbooks of 8the grade in light of the decision of the education department.

“Since the start of the academic year in April, we have been studying books for 9th grade,” a student of a private school told Dawn. He said that they completed several chapters of English, Chemistry, Physics and other subjects during the last two months.

The student said that they were perturbed when the principal asked them to change their books. “The books I had purchased at Rs5,000 went waste as I have to buy books of 8th grade now,” he said. He added the decision wasted their time and money.

Private Educational Institution Management Association president Yawar Naseer told Dawn that the private schools owners would challenge the decision of conducting 8th grade examinations through education boards.

“It is strange that we have been informed by the education department at a time when the course has been taught to the students for two months,” he said.

Asked why the private schools started the course for 9th grade to the students of 8th grade, Mr Naseer said that the matriculation course was lengthy and couldn’t be completed in two years.

He said that they time and again requested the education department to shorten the course for the secondary school certificate examinations but in vain.

He said that around half of the academic year of the students enrolled in private schools would be wasted with the decision as during the first two months they taught course of the ninth grader while students would be off the schools for another three months in the upcoming summer vacations starting from June 1.

Arshed Khan, the secretary of elementary and secondary education department, said that skipping course being framed for the students of 8th grade was a crime. “It leaves a gap in the in the personality of students if they are not taught the relevant course,” he added.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2019