Board exams announced for 5th, 8th grades across Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: The Education Department of Punjab has decided to hold board exams in the government schools in Rawalpindi for the session 2026.

An official schedule has been released stating the dates for admissions, exams, and declaration of results.

The submission of admissions forms will be accepted from November 3 to 15, while the exams for classes 5 and 8  will be conducted in February 2026.

Moreover, the result will be declared on the 31st of March of the same year, according to the official schedule.

The Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority (PECTA) has been tasked with organizing the exams, taking over from the Punjab Examination Commission.

Teacher unions have moved against the plan, calling it a failed experiment tried twice before. Muhammad Shafiq Bhaluwalia and Basharat Iqbal Raja, the leaders, cautioned that giving exemptions to private schools will add a burden to public school students.

They warned that several children, particularly girls, might opt out if they do not pass the Class 8 exam.

Earlier, the District School Education Authority released strict directives under which private schools can raise the tuition fee by a mere five percent every year.

The directives have been released to regulate the financial burden and excessive fee charges that private educational institutions impose on parents in Lahore.

School administrators cannot impose extra fees for any activity or summer camps, and students cannot be compelled to buy books or notebooks from specific stores.

Answering another serious issue being faced by parents, the guidelines add that no private school can charge advance fees.

The schools can charge fees only monthly, and in the event of default, any action of expelling or humiliating the student will result in stern action.