KARACHI: The latest admission test results announced by the NED University of Engineering and Technology have raised fresh concerns about the quality and reliability of examinations conducted by several public education boards in Sindh.
The results show a significant gap in performance between students from public boards and those from Cambridge, foreign examination systems, and independent boards.
Speaking to The News, NED Vice Chancellor Dr Tufail said many students who scored between 70% and 80% in their first-year intermediate examinations were unable to pass the university’s entrance test. According to him, this trend raises important questions about the credibility of marks awarded by some examination boards.
Among all examination systems, students from foreign boards recorded the highest success rate of 95.65%, followed closely by Cambridge students at 94.32%. The Aga Khan University Examination Board achieved a pass rate of 88.84%, while the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education recorded 83.71%. Students from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi posted a comparatively strong 79.91% pass rate.
In comparison, several public boards in Sindh showed much weaker results. The Sindh Board of Technical Education recorded the lowest pass rate at just 13.95%, making it the poorest-performing board in the admission test.
Among the boards from interior Sindh, the pass rates were as follows:
Hyderabad Board: 46.83%
Nawabshah Board: 42.03%
Mirpurkhas Board: 40.43%
Larkana Board: 36.71%
Sukkur Board: 35.06%
Dr Tufail clarified that A-Level students were not included in these figures because their examinations are still in progress. Their admission test will be conducted after the completion of their exams.
This year, 13,056 students appeared for the NED admission test, with 9,252 successfully qualifying, resulting in an overall pass rate of 70.86%. Candidates must obtain at least 50% marks in the entrance test to become eligible for admission on open merit.
The results have once again highlighted the growing mismatch between high marks awarded in some public board examinations and students’ actual academic preparedness. Education experts argue that when students with strong intermediate scores fail a standard university entrance test, it raises concerns about the effectiveness of the assessment system and examination standards.
Experts also point to longstanding administrative issues within Sindh’s examination boards. Many institutions continue to operate without permanent leadership, including chairpersons, controllers of examinations, secretaries, and audit officers. The Hyderabad Board and the Karachi Matriculation Board have also been functioning without permanent chairpersons for an extended period.
According to educationists, weak governance, inadequate oversight, and delays in institutional reforms have contributed to the declining credibility of the province’s public examination boards, affecting the educational future of thousands of students.
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