NCOC meeting: Shafqat Mahmood’s meeting yesterday was aimed at solving the issue of exams in a pandemic for students, however it seems that matters have been made worse. The Education Minister announced cancelation of exams till June 15, which means that CAIE students can now only appear for O/A levels exams in the October ovember cycle, apart from the special arrangements being made for A2 students. This means that these students will waste at least 6 months or a year without the option of School Assessed Grades (SAGs).
The top trend is telling how your decision today has been received @Shafqat_Mahmood. Its asking you to either ensure #SchoolAssessedGrades provision for our Students by #Cambridge or admit your blunders and the negative implications it will have on our students and resign. pic.twitter.com/4Q0Z5MTo7L
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) April 27, 2021
The Issue of SAGs: Pakistan is the only country in a list of many that went ahead with their initial plans to hold physical O/A levels exams despite the ongoing pandemic. All other countries with the same examination body operating in their country operating for School Assessed Grades, a system which was used last year to send predicted grades from school bodies to grade students. Now with the cancellation of exams and no SAGs, students are inevitably going to lose out on 6 months, and have 6 months to prepare for the next year of examinations if the situation is to get better. Many university admissions will also be compromised.
It MUST be teachers assessed grades. #ShafqatDestroysOurCareer #ShafqatMahmood
— Hassaan Niazi (@HniaziISF) April 27, 2021
From #Thailand in the Far East to #Turkey in Western Asia only one Education Minister ended up with cancelling exams due to #Covid while failing to secure the option of #SchoolAssessedGrades from #Cambridge for his country's students.#ResignShafqatMahmood@Shafqat_Mahmood
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) April 27, 2021
Rage and calls for resignation: Students have launched a massive campaign on Twitter calling for the Education Minister to resign as #ResignShafqatMahmood and #ShafqatDestroysOurCareer trended on the social media platform. Students said they must push for School Assessed Grades so that their year is not wasted and the only way to do that is through this method. They demand that the Education Minister must be sacked if he does not arrange a meeting with Cambridge to make SAGs a possibility. Furthermore, Jibran Nasir explained how SAGs can still be achieved and it is in the hands of the government to talk to Cambridge as it can still be arranged, rather than risking the careers of thousands of students.
this is what we've been saying for the past month! Nepal switched to SAGs after the deadline was over. the govt has the authority to ask Cambridge to switch to SAGs even now but sadly their ego comes first thank you so much for your help, Sir @MJibranNasir #resignshafqatmahmood pic.twitter.com/64PHDvol68
— zara (@notsafe4viewing) April 27, 2021