Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced on Tuesday that there will be no investigations in the country until June 15, as coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise.
At a press conference in Islamabad, he said that level O and A exams had been canceled and would now take place in the October to November cycle. However, the A2 exams will continue to be held for those students who wish to attend foreign universities for the purpose of applying.
“It has been strongly advised that there will be no more than 50 people in a center after Monday. For this we have asked that schools become venues,” the minister said, adding that law enforcement personnel will be used to maintain discipline .
The decision comes after widespread calls from students, activists and politicians to the government to cancel the Cambridge exams in the face of the third wave of coronavirus.
Mehmood said there had been a rapid increase in the disease since the last meeting on the matter at the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) on April 18, when it was decided to hold the exams on schedule.
However, as the country is moving in a direction that may lock areas with high infection rates, it was mutually agreed that “all exams will be canceled by June 15”.
The decision means that grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 exams, which should start in late May, will be postponed further, Mehmood added.
Over the weekend, students used the hashtag #NCOCcancelexam to dispel the impression that they were making the demand due to insufficient preparation, explaining that it was due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country. Matric Exams Cancelled Till June.
However, the exams were conducted on Monday with several alleged videos on social media showing large numbers of parents congregating outside of exam centers and large numbers of children in exam rooms.
A day earlier, Mahmood said those unfamiliar with the current situation could switch to the October / November cycle “at no extra charge” and urged parents and students to read the Cambridge guidelines.
Last week the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Lahore High Court (LHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed separate petitions alleging the physical presence of students in level O exams and A questioned and an exam requested Switch to school-graded grades.
The petitions were filed by students in each of the four Supreme Courts against the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) decision and government approval to conduct physical exams in Pakistan.