Ministry decides to scrap PEC exams
Cabinet to take final call
STAFF REPORTER
The primary and mass education ministry has decided not to hold primary education completion (PEC) examinations for Class V, also from this year as primary education has been upgraded to Class VIII. However, the Cabinet will take the final decision. The ministry said if the primary terminal exams for Class V are scrapped from this year, the question of scholarships would not arise. The decision has not been finalised as yet. It has been decided that there will be no more primary educationcompletion exams for Class V. There will be only one terminal exam at the primary level at Class VIII, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar said whille talking to journalists at his office in the secretariat yesterday.
The minister said a proposal would be sent to the Cabinet soon for formal approval in this connection, and the Cabinet will decide the name of the primary terminal examinations. There is no logic to hold two primary education completion examinations as the primary level has been upgraded to Class VIII, he said.
Md Humayun Khalid, secretary of the ministry of primary and mass education, told The Independent yesterday, Well send a proposal to the Cabinet and present our arguments on why we would like to scrap the Class V terminal exams.
Asked about the scholarships in Class V, Khalid said, Its a big question. If the Class V terminal exams are cancelled, how will the scholarships be given? The Cabinet will take a final call on this.
On May 18 this year, primary education was upgraded to Class VIII in accordance with the Education Policy of 2010 and the primary and mass education ministry was assigned the responsibility of managing Class VIII by the education ministry.
The primary ministry decided to hold the Class V terminal exams for the last time this year, but both guardians and students staged demonstrations over the last few days, demanding cancellation of the primary terminal exams in Class V from this year.
The primary education completion exams for Class V started in 2009 as per the Cabinet decision and the Junior School Certificate exams started in Class VIII. In 2010, the Ebtedayee terminal exams began.
Earlier, the scholarships for Class V were given separately. But when the terminal exams started at the primary and Ebtedayee levels, the scholarships were given on the basis of the students results.
On Monday, the Guardians Forum in the capital issued an ultimatum to the government to cancel the primary terminal exams for Class V by July 10 or they would launch an even more intensive movement.
