The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) has announced a significant policy shift to enhance the practical exams for matric and intermediate students. Starting next year, the traditional components of practical notebooks and viva voce will be eliminated from the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examinations. Instead, a practical-based assessment exam will be introduced.
Under the new policy, students will answer structured questions on provided answer sheets, replacing the previous reliance on practical notebooks and viva voce. The decision aims to address concerns about students obtaining solved practical notebooks from external sources and promote genuine practical work.
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FBISE Chairman Qaiser Alam highlighted the need for this change, emphasizing that the new policy is intended to tackle issues with the previous system. The marks previously allocated for practical notebooks and viva voce will now contribute to the structured questions.
The Inter-Board Coordination Commission (IBCC), encompassing all national boards, has backed FBISE’s initiative. Recently, the IBCC passed a resolution urging boards to enhance their practical exam systems. Executive Director IBCC Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah praised FBISE for its forward-looking approach and expressed hope that other boards would follow suit in improving the effectiveness of their practical exams. The changes are set to take effect in the matric exams scheduled for April and the HSSC (intermediate) exams in May 2024.