The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers on the opening day of the new session of the National Assembly on Thursday raised the difficulty of ongoing protests by intermediate students in various parts of the country against the govt’s decision to require their examinations on brief notice and asked the government to delay the examinations to supply longer to them for preparation.
But the govt immediately rejected the opposition’s proposal, saying it had been impossible as exams were close to commencing during a day or two which students in Balochistan had already appeared in examinations whereas in Sindh the exams were close to being over.
Moreover, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar, who was responding to the calling-attention notice of the PML-N members on the topic within the absence of the minister, said the scholars had got sufficient time for exam preparations and that they had been further facilitated by respective boards through a reduction in the syllabus and therefore the number of subjects.
Upon constant and forceful insistence by the PML-N members, Speaker Asad Qaiser finally made an intervention and said that he would himself take up the matter with the federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on Friday (today).
NA Speaker says he will take up the matter with the minister.
He said he would attempt to ask the minister through a call since the minister had been in Gilgit-Baltistan in reference to some official engagements and therefore the matter was of urgent nature.
The speaker refused to offer any ruling on the difficulty despite a requirement by the PML-N members but asked the parliamentary secretary to consult the opposition members and provides a significant consideration to their proposal of delaying the exams for a minimum of another 45 days.
The suggestion to delay the exams had been floated by PML-N MNA from Narowal Ahsan Iqbal, who said the scholars were mentally upset and perturbed over the government’s decision to require their exams without completing even the reduced syllabus.
Mr. Iqbal said that he belonged to a country where the scholars didn’t have the web facility for online classes. He was of the view that the government’s focus was only on the youngsters living in big cities whereas an outsized number of scholars belonging to middle and lower-middle classes lived in rural areas.
“Millions of youth are passing through pain. they’re facing depression and committing suicides,” he said.
Mr. Iqbal suggested that the examinations should be delayed for 45 days. During lately, he said, the scholars should be called to attend physical classes and energy should be made to finish the syllabus.
He also suggested that the weightage of the doorway test for admissions to medical and engineering colleges should be increased up to 85 percent and 15pc weightage should tend to matriculation.
The PML-N leader said that since the matter was of urgent nature, the speaker should convene a gathering on the difficulty in his chamber on Friday (today).
“I appeal to you and beg before you, please give them [students] a while and don’t take two examinations,” said another PML-N MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique in response to the parliamentary secretary’s reply that the scholars who didn’t want to seem within the exams in July would have the chance to seem within the supplementary exams to be held within the month of September or October.
“Arrange classes. there’s no moral justification to require the exams without completing the syllabus,” said Mr. Rafique.
Another PML-N’s MNA Dr. Darshan suggested the formation of a parliamentary committee under the speaker to require up the difficulty. He also asked the govt to right away release the scholars arrested during the recent protests.
Responding to the PML-N members’ points, Ms. Qamar claimed that these handful protesting students couldn’t be considered representatives of all students as a majority of them were willing to seem within the exams.
The parliamentary secretary said that the roll number slips had already been issued to the scholars. She said the choice to carry the exams had been taken by all the provincial ministers for education in consultation with the boards, the upper Education Commission, universities and therefore the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). She said that faculties and universities had agreed to delay their admission process to save lots of the tutorial year of the scholars.
Re-emergence of terrorism
Speaking on some extent of order, independent MNA from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas Mohsin Dawar alleged that terrorists had once more become active in North Waziristan where target killings had become the order of the day.
He asked the govt to require immediate notification of things, warning that otherwise, the entire country could face the menace of terrorism again.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said Pakistan was expecting some disturbances after the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, but national institutions and soldiers were able to counter things.
The National Assembly session ended abruptly when Nasiba Channa of the Pakistan Peoples Party acknowledged the lack of quorum within the house. The speaker adjourned the sitting till Friday morning.
