Punjab Education Department Decided for the MCQ-based Practical for all classes at the Matric and Intermediate level

A historic step forward has been witnessed with Punjab’s Education Department deciding that conventional lab-based pracs will be replaced with totally MCQ-based Practical for all classes at the Matric and Intermediate level from the 2025-2026 session. Published via Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, it remains one of the biggest moves made within this era aimed at updating and institutionalizing uniform standards.

Goodbye to old-fashioned and tedious practicums

Students from grades 9-12 have been taking comprehensive and stressful lab tests for several years. These tests were common in classes like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Computer Science. Waiting times, strict examiners, and unbiased judgment have made these tests stressful.

MCQ-based pracs are gradually taking the place of lab classes. The method employs structured multiple-choice questions, which check conceptual understanding and knowledge and eliminate lab classes as an added burden.

A Uniform Reform for Punjab Boards

All Punjab Boards are included within the scope of the policy. The Boards

• Lahore
• Faisalabad
• Rawalp
• Gujrat
• Multan
• Bahawal
• Sargodha
• Sahiwal
• DG Khan

In fact, it ensures that all students, regardless of board and district affiliation, will be working under the same new and better form of assessment.

On what grounds are MCQ-based practicums introduced? Perceived vision, goals

It’s more than just about convenience. It’s also a strategy for improving learning and assessment with a more modern approach:

1) Honest and just assessment: MCQs get rid of any grading possibility that may be subjecting.

2) Less student stress: There will be no lab stress, lab problems, and pressure from examiners.

3) Understanding beyond Memorizing: MCQs with apt designs can assess understanding, skill, and scientific acumen.

4) Alignment with global norms: This strategy will help align Punjab’s pattern with that of several premier Boards abroad.

Students should get on with these things:

The minister is encouraging everyone, including students and teachers, to start making efforts to have MCQs as practice instead. The focus areas include:

• Assessment of the theory on which experiments are based.
• Conceptual understanding of procedures
• Familiarization with Scientific Tools and Results
• Handling scenario-based MCQs

The teachers will also have to make adjustments with regard to the practice notebooks, tutoring classes, and exams.

A Watershed Moment for Assessment

Unlike previous federal “This reform signals an emerging era with regard to evaluation, which will be more lucid, efficient, and more significantly, centered on student well-being. The arrival of MCQs in practice exams for Punjab will make exam season more streamlined – still tough but not arduous with regards to fundamental scientific knowhow,” he added. Punjab’s education sector will mark a shift towards a smarter and student-centric approach as it begins implementation of the new policy next year.

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