Under pressure to “ease up” on examinees of the Junior School Certificate (JSC) examinations, the ministry of education decided to change the recently introduced question pattern for English.
The decision was taken at a National Curriculum Coordination Committee meeting held Sunday.
After the meeting, Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury apprised reporters of the development, saying they had also decided to extend half an hour’s time for the fine arts examination.
“Under the existing system, students are supposed to deal with three reading passages written in English and answer questions based on the contents provided in them, but now they will have to deal with two.”
“Of the two passages, one will be from their textbooks and the other from outside, as an unseen passage.”
Kamal said the decision was taken after discussion with the curriculum experts and ministry officials present at the meeting.
Sources said the ministry came under pressure to change the three-passage system from concerned teachers and guardians, who thought the pattern would be “too difficult” for junior-level students.
The education boards also conveyed a similar message to the ministry, saying students might cut a sorry figure under the existing pattern of question in the newly introduced curriculum for JSC.
The next JSC examinations are scheduled to be held in November.