USAID Awards US $4.5 Million Grant to Establish AKU's Examination Board

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a US $4.5 million cooperative agreement with Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi on August 13 2003 to help AKU establish an alternative examination board in the private sector for secondary and higher secondary education.  The Ordinance establishing the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) was approved by the Government of Pakistan in November 2002. It provides for full credit and recognition in Pakistan for the certificates awarded by AKU-EB.

Attending the signing ceremony at AKU were Federal Minister for Education, Zobaida Jalal; US Ambassador to Pakistan, Nancy Powell; USAID Country Director, Mark Ward; Chairman of AKU Board of Trustees, Ambassador Saidullah Khan Dehlavi; and AKU President, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha and other dignitaries representing Government of Pakistan, USAID and Aga Khan Development Network.

The establishment of an examination system that offers an alternative to the examination boards in the public sector is in accordance with the government's policy to introduce an independent examining body through public-private partnership.  Speaking at the signing ceremony, Federal Minster for Education Zobaida Jalal said that examination system influences the entire processes of education and are linked to quality of education. She lamented the 'recall culture' ,'acute problem of transparency', and 'repetitious nature of exams' in the country which she thought were reasons for decline of the quality in education. The Minister pointed out that 'citizens of Pakistan have demanded for a long time now an examination system that is credible and emphasized upon understanding and application of learning rather than rote memorization'. She hoped that AKU-EB would 'promote the development of expertise in educational assessment and tests in Pakistan'. She further reiterated that AKU-Examination Board being a pioneer has a great deal of responsibility in attaining milestones of quality, technology and public service. She stated, 'I would like that this effort is monitored closely and reported upon regularly for timely and mid course corrections. All initiatives on learning competencies, subject based skills, approaches in testing and adherence to an international Code of Practice must be widely disseminated for peer sharing and mentoring. I personally have high expectations of this sober but much needed landmark decision and look forward to its expeditious implementation'.

Expressing her views about the establishment of AKU Examination Board, Ms. Nancy Powel, US Ambassador to Pakistan said, 'The United States is very pleased to enter into this agreement with the Aga Khan University. Establishing the Examination Board will help meet one of the major objectives under the agreement we signed with the Federal Ministry of Education last August of 2002: "Improving access to and quality of primary and secondary education". Referring to AKU's capacity and capability in developing and operating an independent examination board, she said, '. as you know AKU already conducts and intensive and highly regarded entrance examination for entrance into the AKU Medical School and School of Nursing at multiple centers throughout Pakistan. Also the Institute for Educational Development at AKU is recognized for its high quality research and designing effective programs for teacher development and schools improvement. These characteristics are essential to the successes of the Examination Board program and the long-term promotion of quality of education in Pakistan'.

She hoped that in looking back on this occasion in five years time, this endeavor will be considered as an important milestone bringing 'significant change in how teachers teach and how students learn in Pakistan'.

To achieve its objectives, the new examination board and AKU's Institute for Educational Development will coordinate training for the teachers of affiliated schools and preparation of learning material and texts. In the course of its work, AKU-EB will also serve the critical national function of capacity building and human resource development for educational assessment and tests.

The AKU-EB started its operations in July 2003, and expects to offer the first SSC examination by the summer of 2006 and the HSC examination by 2008. The University has appointed Dr. Thomas Christie as the first Director of the AKU-EB. Dr. Christie was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Manchester, UK. He has a continuing consultative role in the design of primary, secondary and tertiary examination systems in the UK and has been an advisor and educator in the field of assessment in South and South East Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Earlier, welcoming the guests on this occasion, the President of the Aga Khan University and Chairman of the AKU Examination Board, Mr. Shamsh Kassim Lakha said, 'The presence of these government dignitaries endorses the critical support of the Government for this first examination board in the private sector. It demonstrates in practical terms, the concept of public-private partnership for the improvement of education'. Mr. Lakha thanked the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf and his administration for granting formal approval of the Aga Khan University Examination Board in November 2002. Mr. Lakha also welcomed the officials representing the government of the United States and officers of USAID in Pakistan.

The Chairman of the AKU-EB appreciated the USAID for a generous grant in launching this new initiative and hastened to add that this grant was an important part of the generous assistance being offered by the United States to Pakistan in the field of education and, indeed, human development more generally.

Mr. Lakha said that a number of school heads, many educationists and others have encouraged AKU to establish its Examination Board. In order to make the services of AKU-EB accessible to the people of Pakistan at an affordable cost, Mr. Lakha emphasized that AKU will "make provision to ensure that deserving students do not get deprived of sitting for these examinations". He further said, "We are also mindful of its painstaking attention to transparency and, most of all, its alignment with the national curriculum and objectives by offering secondary and higher secondary schools certificate examinations both in Urdu and English'.

He hoped that through the AKU-EB, AKU will provide students, teachers and parents an alternative to the current examination system and will act ' as a role model and a bench mark for quality enhancement throughout the country'.