PESHAWAR: Minister for elementary and secondary education Shahram Tarakai on Tuesday said that the board examinations for 10th and 12th grades would begin on July 10 ‘by all means in the larger interest of the students’.

Accompanied by education secretary Yahya Akhunzada and director Hafiz Ibrahim, the minister told a news conference here that the candidates for both matriculation and intermediate examinations would appear in elective subjects only.

He said that those examinations would be held in two phases.

“The examinations for 10th and 12th grades will be conducted in the first phase, which is slated to begin on July 10. And once those exams are held successfully, the examinations for ninth and 11th grades will be conducted soon after the Eidul Azha festival,” he said.

Minister says 9th, 11th grade exams will be held soon after Eid

Mr Tarakai said that 80 per cent of the teachers had been vaccinated against novel coronavirus and that only vaccinated teachers would be allowed to invigilate examinations.

“We can’t say anything when the fourth wave of coronavirus is going to start, so we are making all efforts to utilise the available time and will not close schools for the summer vacation,” he said.

The minister said that only schools were closed for 11 days and textbooks were distributed during the period to the schools for their handover to the students from July 12 when the schools would resume classes.

He said that after the reopening of the schools, a campaign would be launched across the province to enrol the maximum number of students in government schools.

Mr Tarakai said that the department had directed the teachers of government schools to persuade parents to allow the enrolment of their children for formal education.

He said that nothing could be said about the possible dropout of students due to the school closures for several months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The minister said that the contract for the provision of furniture to government schools had been awarded and the contractor would start the furniture supply soon.

“By the end of the current year, the provision of furniture will be ensured to 95 per cent of the schools,” he said.

Mr Tarakai said the supply of the textbooks developed under the single national curriculum would begin on July 12, while the books up to the middle classes would be provided next year.

He added that the textbooks for matriculation and intermediate classes would be given away during the next two years.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2021