SUMMARY of the Article “Reforming School Exams” by Muhammad Memon, Dawn [Published on December 15th, 2023]
The article delves into the critical role of school exams in assessing academic performance, certifying standards, and ensuring accountability in the education system. Despite being a focal point in national education policies, significant exam reform remains elusive in Pakistan. The existing system is criticized for its inadequacy in assessing diverse learning outcomes and its susceptibility to cheating, malpractice, and corruption. Stakeholders, particularly parents and students, express dissatisfaction with the lack of fairness, transparency, credibility, and accuracy in exam results. The article highlights the absence of a written exam policy for public boards, citing issues such as outdated exam paper preparation, leakage, untrained examiners, tampered results, and delayed outcomes. Private education sectors, such as the Aga Khan University Examination Board, have emerged to address these challenges, adopting broader assessment frameworks, employing e-marking, and maintaining ethical practices. The need for a comprehensive restructuring of public exam boards, autonomy, and the establishment of an independent oversight » Read More…