Zubair Qureshi
On the directives of Federal Minister for Education & Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, all the boards of intermediate and secondary education have agreed that the examination and assessment pattern should be focused on conceptual learning.
The reforms should be introduced by the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen, they said while discussing this agenda item for the improvement of examination system.
The agenda item was placed in 170th Meeting of Inter Board Committee of Chairmen Forum in Islamabad which was attended by 49 members including 30 examination boards.
The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen Forum recommended various examination reforms and advised boards to discuss the implementation strategy at their concerned forums.
The major recommendations included introducing automation of examination for improving efficiency and transparency, conducting curriculum-based examination, capacity building of examination staff & teachers to make assessment more valid & reliable, developing central items bank & rubrics to make assessment authentic, enhancing security system at the examination centers to curb cheating and other malpractices in examination, e-marking to make work smarter & faster, establishing research section in boards for analysis & future improvements.
Secretary Inter Board Committee of Chairmen Prof. Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah said it was the vision of Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood to change the examination pattern that must be based on the concepts & understanding.
He further said that these recommendations will play pivotal role to dent the old conventional system that is based on rote memorization. The reforms will help students to be problem-solvers.