The Inter-Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) has initiated consultations to abolish the traditional grouping system at the matriculation and inter levels, aiming to provide students with greater academic flexibility. The move follows recent policy changes allowing arts-background students to enrol in pre-medical and pre-engineering streams at the intermediate stage.
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The proposal was discussed during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the IBCC to examine challenges arising from rigid subject group classifications at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSSC) levels. Representatives from education boards, regulatory bodies and curriculum authorities participated in the deliberations held in Islamabad.
According to the IBCC, participants reviewed the advantages and limitations of the existing system, particularly its impact on student mobility and access to higher education. Concerns were raised over cases where students passing most science subjects were still issued equivalence under the humanities group, limiting their academic progression.
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Stakeholders proposed eliminating fixed groups such as pre-medical and pre-engineering and shifting to a subject-based pathway. Under this model, universities would determine admissions based on specific subjects studied by candidates rather than predefined groups, allowing students to combine subjects according to their interests and career goals.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, National Curriculum Council, provincial curriculum bodies and examination boards. The forum broadly endorsed the idea of unbundling subjects at the SSC level to enhance flexibility for students seeking admission to colleges and universities.
To advance the reform process, a national joint working group has been formed to examine the proposal in detail and submit recommendations at the next consultative meeting. The group will also explore whether academic and vocational pathways at the SSC level should be separated or integrated through skill-based subjects.
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IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah said the objective was to give students maximum choice while maintaining essential subject requirements for professional degrees. He explained that while certain core subjects would remain mandatory for fields like medicine and engineering, students should otherwise be free to select subjects that align with their aspirations.