CM seeks report on O & A levels equivalence

[LRE]

CM seeks report on O & A levels equivalence



Wednesday, October 08, 2008
By Khalid Khattak

LAHORE

Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has sought a detailed presentation from the Punjab Higher Education Department regarding the issue related to equivalence of O & A level qualifications.

There has been a great hue and cry about alleged discriminatory equivalence policy and students having foreign qualifications like O & A levels have been protesting against this discrimination.

The students and their parents have been criticizing the government for alleged “unfair” and “biased” policy, saying it was badly affecting them by creating problems at the time of admission to professional colleges and universities.

It is important to mention here that Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC), a body, established under a resolution of the Federal Ministry of Education, decides and grants equivalence to foreign qualifications with corresponding Pakistani qualifications at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) (Matriculation), Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) (Intermediate levels) and technical education as well as local certificates / diplomas with the comparable certificates awarded by the boards.

The IBCC also converts the foreign grades into Pakistani marks at SSC/HSSC level. It is also pertinent to mention here that two of the United Kingdom’s bodies including Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and Ed excel have been offering their qualifications to the students in Pakistan.

An official of the higher education department, seeking anonymity, said the department would consult the IBCC and foreign boards offering these qualifications to address the issue and provide relief to the suffering students.

According to the stakeholders, the IBCC reduces the original marks obtained by students in O & A Levels and gives not more than 85 percent marks despite the fact the students might have obtained 98 percent marks. They believe that most of the O & A level students could not secure admissions to medical colleges because of marks reduction by the IBCC at the time of equivalence, saying there was a dire need of updating and revamping the equivalence mechanism to provide relief to the foreign graduates.

Parents of various students told The News that reduction in marks by the IBCC was causing great disparity among the O & A level students and the FSc students.

They said a very low number of foreign graduates succeeded to get admission to the professional colleges, especially in medical colleges every year because of “irrational” reduction in marks.

They were of the view that the idea of equivalence was to maintain uniformity, adding, however it had resulted in devastating effects on students of O & A level as even A graders of foreign boards were at loss during the admission process.

When contacted, Secretary Higher Education Department Punjab Azhar Hussain Shahmim confirmed that the CM had sought a detailed presentation over the equivalence issue of O & A level qualifications, adding the department would consult all the stakeholders to prepare the presentation

The news