Petitions of O and A level students dismissed

The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Lahore High Court (LHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed on Friday separate petitions challenging the physical presence of students in O and A levels exams and seeking a switch to school-assessed grades.

The petitions were filed by students in each of the four high courts against the CAIE’s decision and the government’s approval for holding physical exams in Pakistan.

During the hearing in the IHC on Friday, Chief Justice Athar Minallah rejected the petition after hearing arguments from both sides. “Can’t issue any directive, [let’s] send your request to the NCOC (National Command and Control Centre),” he said, adding that it was not the courts’ job to “interfere” in the country’s policy matters before moving to dismiss the petition.

Justice Minallah said that to date, the court had not interfered in any policy decisions of the NCOC related to matters regarding the coronavirus. “In any case, the Government of Pakistan cannot issue any directive to Cambridge [Assessment International Education],” he added