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Rawalpindi: Punjab to introduce conceptual exams in schools and colleges as part of a broader effort to overhaul the education system. The initiative, backed by the provincial government and educational experts, aims to shift focus from rote learning to practical, conceptual understanding.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced on Tuesday that the government is working diligently on introducing conceptual exams in educational institutions.
“Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has also formed a task force in this regard. If there is conceptual learning, our country will be able to compete with the modern world. The government is also going to launch a teacher training program,” he said.
The minister made these remarks during an awareness session at the Woman University Rawalpindi, organized by the Rawalpindi BISE and Kantab Publisher. The session focused on the importance of conceptual examinations. He further emphasized the need for practical learning, stating, “Practical learning is the need of the time.”
Rana Sikandar Hayat also assured that the government would empower school and college heads to address issues faced by teachers and students. “We will empower our school and college heads to solve all problems of teachers and students,” he stated. Additionally, he promised that the issues of the education department would be addressed in the next three months.
The session was attended by a host of notable figures, including Secretary Higher Education Dr Farukh Naveed, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Mohammad Adnan, Chairman Lahore Board Mian Zahid, District Education Authority CEO Amanullah Khan, chancellors of universities, Dr Naeem Khalid of Kantab Publisher, among others.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman of HEC, spoke about the importance of educating the younger generation in the right direction for their better future. “We must educate and train children in the right direction,” he said.
Dr Naeem Khalid, an educationist, highlighted the abundance of talent in Pakistani children, while criticizing the traditional rote learning approach. “There is no shortage of talent in our children. We have made our children parrots, but through conceptual learning, they have been able to cope with new technology,” he said.
Dr Naeem further criticized the implementation of government policies in Pakistan. “Governments make policies but their implementation remains pending,” he observed, stressing the crucial role of teachers. “Teachers are the architects of the nation. We should have a child who is equipped with technology. We should make children who use modern technology,” he said.
Calling for reforms in the education system, Dr Naeem added, “This education system needs to be changed. With this method of education, we cannot make our children self-sufficient. The only era is the era of computers and robots.”
The Punjab Education Minister also announced that government, in collaboration with Google, would bring about changes in education system. He also reassured the audience that all issues related to the education department would be resolved within the next three months.
