The issue of SAGs: After the most recent announcement from Education Minister, Shafqat Mahmood, students in the O/A level system have entered a conundrum of a very difficult decision. The cancellation of this CIE session will give students only the choice of giving these exams in October which will give them only 6 months to prepare for the next series. For A2 students, if they don’t give exams in this series, their university admission in Pakistan and abroad will be compromised. This issue can only be handled well if SAGs are given to Pakistani students just like in all other countries with this education system.
How SAGs work: Last year, teacher assessed grades were sent to mark students’ grades, also referred to as ‘predicted grades’ as teachers predicted the capability of students and sent a deserving grade. This year, since mid-terms, mocks and other exams have taken place so that has enabled teachers to send ‘school assessed grades’ to Cambridge on the basis of these exams. All countries with the Cambridge education system except Pakistan have opted for this method.
Top schools join in: Most top O/A levels schools have joined in the efforts to demand SAGs from the Education Ministry. Jibran Nasir has kept a track on his social media handles of announcements from major institutions like Aitchison, LACAS, The City School, Beaconhouse, LGS, KGS, Lyceum, Nixor, Mama Parsi, Headstart, Roots, and so many more. It is hoped that mobilization of these top corporate education bodies will help drive the effort in order to achieve SAGs.