The Punjab government has postponed its decision to conduct board examinations for Class 5 students, announcing that fifth-graders will instead undergo an assessment conducted by the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) this year.
According to the decision, regular board examinations for Class 5 students will be introduced next year, meaning children will not have to appear in formal board exams during the current academic year.
The provincial government has decided to introduce a phased examination system to reduce academic pressure on students and make the assessment process more manageable at an early stage of their education.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said the assessment for Class 5 students would be conducted in a transparent and fair manner to ensure an effective evaluation of their academic performance.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to retain the previous examination system for Class 8 students, under which examinations in four major subjects will be conducted.
The education minister said Class 8 examinations would be held using special electronic answer sheets, commonly known as e-sheets. He added that on-screen marking of answer sheets would be ensured to improve transparency and maintain fairness in the examination process.
The Class 8 examination system will cover four major subjects, with the government maintaining the existing examination framework while introducing digital assessment arrangements.
The phased approach reflects the provincial government’s decision to gradually implement changes in the examination system while keeping students’ academic workload and examination-related stress in consideration.
