In order to evaluate the students and keep a check on private schools, around 521 private schools have registered for the 5th grade assessment with Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education (E&SE) Department is determined to strengthen the private sector through the Private School Regulatory Authority. The registered schools, within Peshawar, have the student population close to 17,000.

However, scores of private school owners, teachers and parents have already rejected the assessment being done by the BISE. They have also threatened to hold a protest if the K-P government implements this decision.

Rizwan Ali, a private school owner, said that they rejected the registration with BISE because they have their own system of examination. He also said that the government should review their school examination instead which is old and incorrect.

The K-P government initiated the universal examination of 5th grade students in selective government schools in 2014 to evaluate the knowledge and learning skills of students. The examination system was also introduced to keep a check on teachers’ performance.

However, in 2015, the primary examination system for grade-5 was extended to all districts and was widely appreciated. Currently, the government has extended this practice to private schools but this was largely rejected by private school owners.

BISE Chairman Muhammad Shafi Afridi hoped that this grade 5 assessment would bring uniformity and equality among private and government schools.

Shafi, while speaking to The Express Tribune, said, “this initiative began in 2014-15 will continue till 2017 and will be converted into an examination in 2018.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2016.