As a youngster watching 3 Idiots in Pakistan, I remember Aamir Khan’s character Rancho urging students to pursue excellence instead of chasing grades—a simple line that exposed a flaw in our education system, which rewards marks more than real learning.
That concern remains as the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) introduces a new 10-point grading scale for SSC-I and HSSC-I from 2025, raising the pass mark from 33 to 40 percent.
By 2027, numerical marks and positional rankings will be phased out. The reform aims to modernize assessment, with grades ranging from A++ (90–100 percent) to U (0–39 percent) and to control grade inflation. In recent years, over 80 percent of students have scored above 80 percent, blurring distinctions between genuine achievement and inflated results. The new scale may better reflect performance differences, while removing rankings could reduce unhealthy competition that affects student well-being.
These are positive intentions. Yet the heart of the matter lies in what our exams are designed to measure. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful way to look at learning. It organizes educational goals into levels: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating. A strong system encourages students to move upward from memorizing facts toward critical and creative thinking. Pakistan’s exam culture does not support this progression. A 2024 Aga Khan University review found that around 70% of SSC exams are based on rote recall. As long as success depends on memorization, the grading scale will only change the label on the same kind of learning. An A++ will still reflect how well a student crammed information rather than how well they applied it.
The higher pass mark may also deepen inequality. Public schools serve most of Pakistan’s 26 million students. Large class sizes and limited teacher training make it hard for them to reach higher learning outcomes. UNESCO data shows only about 30% of teachers receive regular training. The latest ASER survey reports that many rural students still struggle with basic literacy. Without new investment in teaching and resources, students in disadvantaged areas will be at greater risk of falling behind while better-resourced schools adjust more easily.
The reform draws inspiration from international models like the UK’s GCSE and Cambridge O-Levels. But those systems work because they combine grading changes with strong teacher training, project-based assessment and steady curriculum support. Pakistan has copied the structure but not the support system behind it.This policy is a step, not a solution. If authorities want students to reach higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, they must improve teacher development, redesign exams to test analysis and problem-solving and provide help to schools and families who are already struggling. Parents and teachers also have a role in shifting focus away from marks as the only measure of worth. Rancho’s message from 3 Idiots still applies. Grades should not define the future of our children. Excellence grows when the education system values thinking over memorization. The new grading policy can move Pakistan in that direction, but only if we build the support it requires.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
