Muhammad Rahim Haqqani
A few days ago all the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed heads of all government and registered private educational institutions about the future strategy and policy for the upcoming examination system in the province. It noticed that question papers for grade 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th would not be prepared from the exercises given at the end of each unit of the text books but from the curricular topics of learning materials. The purpose of this change according to the authorities of the board is to discourage the cramming and rote learning by the students. Guides, notes and model papers available in the open market would no more benefit students as they are supposed to be shunned.
The government this initiative is laudable and the only solution to end malpractices in students’ learning process. Qur’anic verses and ‘Hadhits’ would no more be seen dispersed here and there in washrooms, toilets and streets around the examination halls. Cramming and cheating has been rejected and affinity toward rote learning by students is to be discouraged once for all.
It seems crystal clear that the boards’ management has decided to change their mid set up by introducing changes in examination system and altering it.
It is a matter of sorrow that the think tanks have kept these remedial receipts in cupboards for the last 70 years. However; the initiative is appreciable as according to an intellectual ‘Late better than never. Because of changes in question papers the conceptual study in students would take roots. Only knowledge would not be useful and dependable but all the learning steps would be brought in real use like comprehension, implementation, analysis and synthesis along with their skills and to achieve the confirmed evaluation.
Lack of youngsters in our nation had been smelted and combusted in the furnace of freak education system for decades. Some had been disabled, died, living and some are those who have supported the weak fragile and affected Pakistan with their paralyzed shoulders. Anyhow we had left the matter on matter for those who had plentitude of knowledge and having the best solution of problems.
But now parents, teachers and masses from all departments especially education is committed to fulfill its responsibility accordingly. Cleansing of concept in students’ mind would increase learning capacity of the kids. Deep insight and comprehension would flourish and in this way research methodology would be encouraged. The hidden cap-abilities of students would be enlightened and help in the linguistic understanding of physics, chemistry, Bi-ology, Mathematics, English and other course books.
These mentioned subjects are taught in English while rest of the subjects like Urdu, Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies are taught in Urdu. It is necessary for a student to learn and understand how to listen, read, write and speak. So these two languages would be focused with keen interest.
Urdu sentence and its parts, reading, writing and speaking along with its grammar and composition is very important for students. Likewise the skill of English learning, reading, writing and speaking is essential too. To seek and point out other hidden capabilities of students is the obligation of ideal teachers. The students must focus their sono-receptors (ears) and photo-receptor (eyes) to pick up meaning of learning materials.
If teachers and parents cooperate in such a way, the future of our coming generation would be luminous. But out worldly, the incumbent government is taking these initiatives at a time when the academic session in all educational institutions is at the close end. To prepare the students for this kind of change in question papers at this time would be difficult for institutions and teachers.
The government should have taken this decision at the start of the session and in that case it would have drastic effects on students’ learning.
Similarly the Pakistan Tehrek Insaf led coalition government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should have taken this decision four years ago when it formed the government in 2013 then again it would have borne fruit so far.
Being a part of education system it is my humble suggestion to the provincial government and authorities of all educational boards to implement its Students’ Learning Outcomes (SLOs) policy on reforming examination system from next year i,e 2019.
