Karachi first-year students receive grace marks

The Sindh Assembly has decided to award grace marks to first-year students in Karachi after a review of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi’s (BIEK) exam results. This decision came from a parliamentary panel meeting held on Tuesday. The panel approved giving 15% grace marks in Mathematics and Physics and 20% in Chemistry for those students who did not pass. This move follows the findings of a fact-finding committee set up to investigate the controversial exam results. The committee noted that the pass rates for students have been below 47% over the past decade. The report revealed several issues that affected the results, including delays in providing students with their course materials. It also highlighted problems within BIEK’s IT system, noting that many exam cases were mishandled due to data entry errors. Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah acknowledged the unfair treatment of first-year students and stressed the need for improvements in the examination system. He promised that those responsible for the problems would face consequences. The government will also implement the committee’s recommendations to enhance the board's operations.