G-B cuts summer vacation for govt schools over poor 9th-class results

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Education Department has reduced summer vacations by 10 days for government schools in the region following dismal results in the Annual Examination 2024 conducted by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Islamabad.

The overall pass percentage for 9th-grade students in Gilgit-Baltistan was a mere 24pc. Except for the Shigar district, no other district achieved a pass rate above 30p

c. The results were particularly disheartening in the Ghizer district with a pass rate of only 14 per cent followed by Nagar at 15 per cent, Ghanche at 19 per cent Astore at 21 per cent Kharmang at 22 per cent, Diamer at 25 per cent Gilgit at 27.5 per cent Hunza at 27 per cent, and Skardu at 29 per cent Out of 9185 students who appeared for the exams, only 2185 managed to pass. The performance of government schools across the board was not encouraging.

A notification issued by the Director General of Schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, Faizullah Khan Lone, stated that the decision to shorten the summer break was made after a series of meetings focused on addressing the poor performance of the region’s government schools.

“The competent authority has decided to reduce the summer vacations 2024 of the School Education Department Gilgit-Baltistan to ten days for grades 8, 9, and 10 only,” reads the notification. Consequently, all government schools in Gilgit-Baltistan will remain open for the mentioned classes from August 1, 2024, instead of August 11, 2024.

The notification further mentioned that after a thorough analysis of the exam results, discussions, and guidelines during various meetings, higher authorities have decided to conduct internal examinations for all subjects of Grades 8, 9, and 10 in the first week of August 2024 across Gilgit-Baltistan through the Board of Elementary Examination Gilgit-Baltistan (BEEGB). “The results of this assessment will set a baseline for preparation for next year’s board examinations,” the notification added.

Earlier, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan showed serious concern about the performance of students of classes 9th and 10th in the recent Board exams. In this regard, the CM sought detailed results of classes 9th and 10th from 2019 to 2024, a five-year regular budget allocation for the School Education Department, a five-year ERE-related budget allocation, Annual Funds allocation in ADP in five years, donor funds received and details of expenditure in five years, funds spent on repair/maintenance including expenditure on the school meal program, whitewashing, etc., in 2019-2024, annual spending in five years, student-teacher ratio and posts created in the last five years, details of all teachers performing duties outside the teaching cadre, and details of all teachers not performing duties at their actual duty stations.

According to a notification issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the information was sought from the School Education Department to make informed decisions. The department was asked to provide the above information within three days, both in soft and hard forms.

In a related development, Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan, Abrar Ahmed Mirza, has taken notice of the embarrassing results in the Federal Board matric exams. Addressing a high-level meeting of the School Education Department on Tuesday, which included district commissioners, DCs, senior education officials, directors, and the Secretary of Education, the Chief Secretary expressed serious concerns over the poor performance and instructed that those involved in the substandard performance be held accountable. “Officials found responsible will face strict departmental action,” he asserted.

During the meeting, the Secretary of Education Gilgit-Baltistan presented the reasons behind the poor results and offered several improvement suggestions. The Chief Secretary directed the education department to regularly submit progress reports to ensure accountability. He also emphasized the importance of addressing structural issues within the department, improving the quality of education, and expediting the hiring process for 1000 new teachers.

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The Chief Secretary underscored the significance of quality education for the region’s development and demanded immediate identification and reporting of underperforming officials. He insisted that these individuals explain their poor performance, with departmental action to follow. Additionally, he directed the education department to resolve exam-related issues promptly and ensure the timely provision of textbooks and educational materials to students.