The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) education department has announced that schools up to grade 8 will no longer follow the British-era annual examination system. Instead, a two-semester system will be introduced to ease the burden on students and teachers.
Education Secretary Mohammad Khalid said the decision, approved by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, aims to reduce learning loss caused by long vacations. “The course will be divided into two equal parts, with exams held at the end of each semester,” he said. Both exams will carry equal weight in final results.
The secretary explained that students and teachers did not take mid-term exams seriously under the old system since those marks did not count. To further help students, textbooks will now be divided into two parts, reducing both content size and schoolbag weight. Parents had often complained about the health impact of heavy bags, he added.
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The government also plans to restructure the academic calendar by introducing Fall and Spring semesters separately for summer and winter zones. In the summer zone, the academic year will begin on September 1, while in the winter zone, it will start on March 1.
Vacations will remain intact but will be used for student activities, teacher training, and campaigns. The department also intends to engage students in extracurricular work, digital training, and plantation drives during breaks. Officials believe the change will not only ease academic pressure but also provide better opportunities for skill development.
