ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Monday wished all students who are taking exams, starting from today, the very best and said that these are tough times and difficult decisions have been made keeping the students best interest in view.
Shafqat Mahmood, in a series of tweets, said that British Council is committed to strict implementation of standards operating procedures (SOPs) and the government will also monitor them closely; however, he added that those students and parents who are still not comfortable can switch to Oct/Nov cycle without any extra charges.
He further said that he has asked Cambridge to reconsider the 13-month condition for AS students for taking remaining papers considering the extraordinary situation and hoped that a positive decision will come soon.
The minister also shared some pictures of the examination halls and stressed that some elements distributing fake pictures of examination halls for cheap publicity. Their attempt to spread confusion has failed and will continue to fail because they are not interested in students but self-projection, he added.
Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has started A & O Level examinations in the country which have been allowed under strict SOPs.
In a statement, Cambridge said that they had provided various options for schools and students to support them through the pandemic.
In some syllabuses, candidates could take the component in a way that is easier to manage. For example, AS & A Level, Art & Design candidates can produce one piece of course work instead of three.
Schools could apply for exemptions where they feel candidates were not able to complete the syllabus due to any reason, it added.
The statement further said the candidates can choose not to take a component but can still receive an overall syllabus grade.
Students can receive a grade when for any reason they miss some exams. Cambridge will give result to all students who have taken at least one component of a subject in the May/June 2021 exam series.
Students can defer to a future exam series with the same fee they paid for May/June 2021. The decision is theirs and Cambridge will not investigate They can do this for one or more subjects. They have till 17 June to make this decision.
Popular subjects in Pakistan will be offered in October /November 2021 exam series to facilitate students who decide to defer their entries from May/June 2021 to October /November 2021.
