Syllabus Rationalization

Announcement

Due to COVID-19 and as per the directives of the government, the schools have reopened from September 15, 2020, in Pakistan. This delayed re-opening has posed the challenge of completing the curriculum with this short academic year. The educational institutions around the world have taken measure to rationalize the syllabus in order to reduce academic load. In the same spirit, the AKU-EB has also taken several steps to ensure that the educational activities effectively continue at our affiliated schools while maintaining standards in face of this uncertainty.

As per the current situation, the schools are open in September 2020 and the academic year is expected to end in March 2021 and the annual exams will be held as per the schedule. In the lieu of this situation, the AKU-EB has rationalized its syllabus and communicated it to schools through a comprehensive rationalized examination specification. The rationale for this syllabus rationalization in this short and uncertain academic year is to

• Ensure that the academic content is manageable, yet maintaining academic rigor for the students.

• Ensure that assessment is valid yet feasible considering the SOPs suggested by the government to ensure safety of students and school staff.       

Hence, some major decisions include:

• The syllabus content for academic year 2020-21 has been rationalized and only the essential and important concepts will be assessed in the Annual Examinations 2021.

• There has been a reduction of 20-30% content in this academic year. The decision is based on reviewing the pacing guides of several schools (urban, rural and remote setting).

• The Annual Examinations 2021 will consist of MCQs only (except for examinations of languages and art where extended questions have been retained) to minimize contact during conduct of examination and E-marking.

• Practical exams will be replaced with Alternate to Practical (ATP) papers (MCQs-based) to minimise contact during the academic year and exam conduct and to ensure teaching continues remotely in case we see further delay in opening of schools or re-closure.  

• The Rationalised Examination Specifications have been reviewed and validated by the teachers from the AKU-EB affiliated schools. 

Please note that these changes are effective for annual and re-sit examinations of 2021 only. The Rationalised Examination Specifications are now also available on our website for Annual and Re-sit Examinations 2021.

Please contact us at examination.board@aku.edu for any further information.