Sindh okays grace marks for intermediate students

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet has approved the recommendation of an assembly sub-committee to give grace marks to first-year intermediate students under the Karachi Board.

According to a statement by the Sindh Chief Minister’s spokesperson, 20 percent grace marks will be given to all male and female students in chemistry, physics and mathematics.

The Sindh Chief Minister has also directed the Universities and Boards Department to bring reforms in the education boards, while the Chief Secretary has been directed to form a high-level committee.

This committee will investigate the irregularities in all education boards and submit a report.

However, with only 12 days left for the exams, this decision may delay the timely start of the intermediate exams.

The Universities and Boards Department is yet to issue a formal notification.

Once issued, the Karachi Intermediate Board will start implementation, which will take time as the results have to go through several stages of review. At present, there is no chairman in the Karachi Inter Board.

After the retirement of acting chairman Prof. Sharaf Ali Shah, no officer has been appointed as permanent or temporary chairman, which deprives the board of decision-making power.

According to sources in the Sindh government, the Universities and Boards Department had recently sent a summary to the Controlling Authority, recommending that the charge of the Karachi Inter Board be given to the newly elected chairman of the Karachi Matriculation Board and the charge of the Hyderabad Board be given to an additional secretary of the department.

The Controlling Authority sought details of the experience and qualifications of the respective additional secretary. Since then, both the summaries have been returned, and both the boards are functioning without a chairman.