The Inter Boards Coordination Commission convened a forum meeting hosted jointly with the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi, bringing together chairpersons, controllers, IT directors and senior officials from examination boards across Pakistan. The gathering marked a key step in digital exam reform when Sindh’s Provincial Minister for Universities and Boards Ismail Rahoo received the national exam software from Dr. Ikram Ali Malik, Chairman FBISE; the marking software will be rolled out to all BISEs in Sindh to streamline the marking process.
Ghullam Ali Mallahn, Executive Director of IBCC, played a pivotal role in facilitating the transfer and coordination with Sindh boards. The Forum also approved a unified national grading system to be implemented starting with the 2026 examinations and urged provincial authorities to announce timelines promptly to ensure smooth execution alongside the new marking software deployment.
Delegates discussed redesigning SSC and HSSC group structures to expand subject combinations, enabling broader multidisciplinary choices for students. In a notable decision affecting international curriculum candidates, A-Level students will now receive equivalence within their relevant academic groups regardless of their O-Level subject streams.
The Forum acknowledged IBCC’s ongoing efforts to shift assessments away from rote memorization toward examinations that emphasize conceptual understanding and critical thinking. Participants praised initiatives to train master trainers and item writers and to strengthen IT teams so the marking software and other digital tools can be adopted nationwide.
Officials reiterated that Pakistan’s examination boards are united in pursuing transparent, digitally enabled assessment reforms that prepare students for modern academic and professional demands while ensuring integrity and efficiency in grading.
