The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) has approved significant changes to Pakistan’s examination system at its 184th Forum meeting. The reforms include setting minimum passing marks at 40% under a new grading policy and moving away from rote learning toward assessment of conceptual understanding. The new system has already begun implementation in Sindh, Federal, Mirpur Azad Kashmir, Karakoram, and examination boards run by Aga Khan University and Ziauddin University.
Under the reforms, B-Form or Computerised National Identity Card numbers will now appear on matriculation and intermediate certificates. The IBCC will provide scholarships and overseas educational opportunities to top performers from affiliated boards, and will organise winter and summer camps for outstanding students. The committee recommended granting equivalence status to 12 additional religious seminaries for Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate qualifications, bringing the total to 26.
Other decisions include granting science-group equivalence to foreign board students who have passed two science subjects, and preparing a uniform examination calendar across the country. Common guidelines for practical examinations will also be developed. The IBCC Executive Director emphasised the push toward e-marking systems to improve transparency, noting recent merit-based appointments of board chairpersons in Punjab and e-marking implementation in Sindh.