Sindh board students struggle in NED test despite high intermediate scores

KARACHI: Over 50% of students from Sindh’s education boards —excluding Karachi and Aga Khan boards — failed the recent NED University entry test, according to official documents and insider sources.

The performance of candidates from boards in Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, and other regions was especially disappointing. In contrast, students from the Karachi and Aga Khan boards performed significantly better in the university’s entrance test.

Sources allege that many of the students who failed the test had previously obtained high marks in their intermediate board exams through bribery.

Experts note that failure rates are typically lower among students from the Karachi board, whereas unusually high scores are common among candidates from other boards — raising concerns about the credibility of their academic performance.

Data shows that 68% of students from the Larkana Board failed the test, followed by 66% from Sukkur, 59% from Mirpurkhas, and 55% from Nawabshah.

Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association President Munawwar Abbas, along with other leaders including Rasool Qazi, commended the students of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi for their outstanding performance in the NED University entrance test.

In a statement, they said the results proved to be merit-based and transparent.

"The pass percentage of students from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi in the NED University entrance test stood at a notable 77%, significantly higher than that of other education boards in Sindh — a reflection of the board’s commitment to merit and transparency in the examination process," the statement added.