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Express Tribune
3 days ago
- General
- Express Tribune
NED test results reveal Sindh's education divide
The aptitude test results of NED University of Engineering and Technology have revealed a troubling academic performance among students from various educational boards across Sindh except for those in Karachi. Despite the fact that the test is typically attempted by high-achieving A-one and A-graders in their intermediate exams, a significant number failed to make the cut. Out of 9,388 students who appeared for the test, only 68.1 per cent passed, while 2,990 students were unsuccessful. Students from boards outside Karachi performed poorly in comparison, with the overall passing rate from these boards falling below 46 per cen. The Hyderabad Board recorded a failure rate of 53.3 per cent, with 406 out of 764 students failing. Larkana Board saw 219 out of 322 students fail, resulting in a 68.1per cent failure rate. Similarly, 308 out of 522 students from the Mirpurkhas Board failed, giving it a 59.1 per cent failure rate. The Nawabshah Board reported a 55.2 per cent failure rate with 144 out of 261 students failing, while Sukkur Board had a 66.2 per cent failure rate, with 176 out of 266 students failing the test. In stark contrast, students from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) performed significantly better. Only 1,387 out of 5,951 students failed, resulting in a relatively low failure rate of 23.4 per cent. Performance from other boards was also comparatively stronger. The Federal Board had 257 students appear for the test, of which 202 passed and 55 failed. Meanwhile, students from the Cambridge system showed the highest success rate over 98 per cent; 455 out of 483 students passed and only 28 failed . The dismal results from many districts in Sindh have raised concerns regarding students' academic preparedness for engineering and technology programmes. Chairman of the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) Karachi and Sindh Professor Faqir Muhammad Lakho expressed his concern over the performance. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he remarked, "The results surprised us too. Karachi has more resources, and students here often attend private tuition alongside regular college. The city's academic environment is very different from other districts." He further noted that students from remote areas face additional challenges such as travelling long distances to Karachi to take the test. "The stress and fatigue from travel impact their performance," he explained. Professor Lakho suggested that NED should establish regional testing centres across Sindh, similar to the model used for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), to alleviate the burden on students and potentially improve their results. When asked about the low passing percentage in BIEK results, the chairman replied that this time they had set up 11 assessment centres and appointed a monitoring in charge at each centre. No teacher is allowed to take the exam papers home, and he himself visited the assessment centres.
Express Tribune
28-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Shift cargo from roads to rail: railway official
Listen to article Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways (PR), Mehmoodur Rehman Lakho, has said that 99% of Pakistan's cargo moves through Karachi, warning that unless freight is shifted from roads to rail, the city's road infrastructure will continue to deteriorate under the strain of heavy outbound vehicles. Speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Lakho said the purpose of his visit was to explore ways to revive and strengthen rail freight connectivity from Karachi to Pakistan's major industrial and commercial centres. "Shifting to rail freight is not only economically beneficial but also environmentally responsible," he said. "Rail transport is three times more fuel-efficient than road freight, helping reduce carbon emissions, conserve foreign exchange, and ease pressure on highways." He highlighted the strides Pakistan Railways has made in modernising its freight operations over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2015, the department added more than 1,400 hopper wagons, over 2,000 high-capacity flat wagons, and 55 modern locomotives. These upgrades increased payload capacity from an average of 20 tonnes to 60 tonnes per wagon, enabling each train to transport over 4,000 tonnes of cargo. However, Lakho expressed concern over the delayed implementation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), calling it critical to expanding the country's rail cargo network. Without ML-1, he said, Pakistan Railways remains limited in its capacity to deliver long-haul, high-speed cargo services across Karachi, Sukkur, Multan towards the northern regions. He also shared plans to revive international rail freight links from Karachi to Moscow via Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. This corridor, he said, could unlock new export markets, especially for textiles and industrial products. Lakho said Pakistan Railways is exploring modern logistics solutions such as multimodal freight, dedicated industrial cargo trains for export sectors, and Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) wagons that can carry entire loaded trucks by trainbypassing congested highways and reducing costs. He expressed willingness to collaborate with KCCI to identify freight priorities and launch pilot routes connecting Karachi with Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. Chairman of the Businessmen Group (BMG), Zubair Motiwala, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a long-overdue effort to rebuild the historic partnership between the business community and Pakistan Railways, which had been eroded by years of neglect and overreliance on road transport.
