Sindh examination boards under scrutiny after NED admission test results
The results showed that students from Cambridge, foreign examination systems and other independent boards performed much better than many public boards in Sindh. The findings have sparked fresh debate over the quality of examinations and marking standards.
NED University Vice Chancellor Dr Tufail said many students who had scored between 70% and 80% in their first-year intermediate examinations failed to qualify in the NED admission test.
He said this raises questions about how marks are awarded by some Sindh examination boards.
According to the results, students from foreign examination systems recorded the highest pass rate at 95.65%. Cambridge students followed with 94.32%, while the Aga Khan University Examination Board achieved 88.84%.
The Federal Board recorded a pass rate of 83.71%, while the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi achieved 79.91%.
Among the public boards, the Sindh Board of Technical Education recorded the lowest pass rate of only 13.95%, making it the weakest-performing board in the NED admission test.
Other boards in interior Sindh also reported low success rates. Hyderabad recorded 46.83%, followed by Nawabshah with 42.03%, Mirpurkhas with 40.43%, Larkana with 36.71% and Sukkur with 35.06%.
Dr Tufail clarified that A-Level students were not included in the current statistics because their examinations are still in progress. Their NED admission test will be conducted after their exams are completed.
A total of 13,056 candidates appeared in the entrance test, and 9,252 qualified, resulting in an overall pass rate of 70.86%. Students must secure at least 50% marks to become eligible for admission on open merit.
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Education experts say the results once again highlight the growing gap between high marks awarded by some Sindh examination boards and students’ actual academic abilities.
They believe the findings point to weaknesses in assessment methods and examination standards.
Experts also noted that many Sindh examination boards have been operating for years without permanent leadership, including chairpersons, controllers of examinations and other key officials.
They say stronger governance and reforms are needed to restore confidence in the education system.
