Shafqat Mahmood welcomes HEC’s decision to allow online exams

ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has welcomed the Higher Education Commission’s decision to allow universities to conduct online exams.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday evening, Shafqat Mehmood wrote that he is “happy to note that HEC has formally allowed the universities to conduct online exams with adequate safeguards.”

“This paves the way for them to devise the right procedures quickly to do so. Education standards must be kept up. Work hard students and wish you the best.”

I am happy to note that HEC has formally allowed the universities to conduct online exams with adequate safeguards. This paves the way for them to devise right procedures quickly to do so. Education standards must be kept up. Work hard students and wish you the best pic.twitter.com/8jgLKedivp

— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) January 27, 2021

The HEC announced that it is “up to the universities to decide whether they wanted to conduct in-person or online exams,” days after protests caught pace against on-campus examinations.

In a long Twitter thread, the HEC said that it has taken notice of students’ concerns regarding the in-person examination.

“The apprehensions of students were reviewed carefully in consultation with the vice-chancellors of all the provinces and regions, keeping in view the difficulties brought about by the pandemic and opening of universities from February 01, 2021,” it added.