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KARACHI: In a major development, the Sindh cabinet grace marks decision was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday, granting grace marks to first-year students of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) who failed their annual exams.
During the extended session, several key decisions were made alongside the Sindh cabinet grace marks decision. These included banning all types of plastic shopping bags across Sindh, introducing electronic monitoring for repeat offenders using wearable devices such as anklets and bracelets, and establishing a Centre for Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism in response to rising radicalization concerns.
This high-level meeting comes just days after matric examination papers were reportedly leaked in major cities across Sindh, including Karachi, sparking widespread criticism of the boards’ inefficiency and raising fresh concerns over the integrity of the province’s education system.
The University & Board Department shared troubling data showing a significant drop in the 2024 pass percentage for BIEK’s first-year results. In light of this, the Sindh Assembly had formed a Special Committee on January 13, 2025, led by Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah. A Sub-Committee, chaired by NED University Vice Chancellor Dr. Sarosh H. Lodi, conducted a detailed inquiry and recommended grace marks of 20% in Chemistry and 15% each in Physics and Mathematics.
Acting on these findings, the Chief Minister approved the grace marks, while also calling for immediate reforms in the examination board’s operations to prevent such issues in the future. Although the Sindh Boards Ordinance of 1972 does not allow for grace marks, a precedent was set when a similar exception was approved by the caretaker government in 2023 based on a previous investigation.
Voicing his dissatisfaction with the overall performance of educational boards, the Chief Minister ordered the Chief Secretary to establish a high-level committee of reputable officers to probe irregularities in boards across Sindh and submit a comprehensive report.
On the environmental front, the cabinet reaffirmed its stance on pollution control and ecological conservation. The amended Sindh Prohibition of Non-Degradable Plastic Products Rules, 2014, were passed, enforcing a province-wide ban on the manufacture, sale, and use of both non-degradable and oxo-degradable plastic bags. The ban will be implemented 60 days following the cabinet’s approval.
