NED admission test exposes deep flaws in Sindh's public examination boards
Technical Board records just 13.95% pass rate as foreign, Cambridge and other independent boards outperform; VC questions credibility of high intermediate scores
Published July 13, 2026
KARACHI: The results of the admission test conducted by NED University of Engineering and Technology have exposed serious weaknesses in the academic standards of Sindh’s public examination boards, particularly the Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE) and several boards in the interior of the province, while students from Cambridge, foreign examination systems and other independent boards recorded significantly higher success rates.
Speaking to The News, NED Vice Chancellor Dr Tufail said a large number of students who had secured more than 70% to 80% marks in the first year of intermediate examinations failed to qualify in the university’s admission test, raising serious questions about the credibility of marks awarded by some examination boards.
According to the results, students from foreign examination boards achieved the highest pass rate at 95.65%, followed by Cambridge candidates with 94.32%.
The Aga Khan University Examination Board recorded a pass rate of 88.84%, while the Federal Board achieved 83.71%. Students from the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi recorded a pass rate of 79.91%.
In contrast, the performance of several public boards in Sindh remained alarmingly poor. The Sindh Board of Technical Education posted the lowest pass rate of just 13.95%, the weakest among all boards.
Among the education boards in interior Sindh, the Hyderabad Board recorded a pass rate of 46.83%, followed by Nawabshah (42.03%), Mirpurkhas (40.43%), Larkana (36.71%) and Sukkur (35.06%).
Dr Tufail clarified that A-Level students were not included in the current statistics because their examinations were still underway. Their admission test will be held after the completion of their examinations.
A total of 13,056 candidates appeared in the NED admission test, of whom 9,252 qualified, resulting in an overall pass rate of 70.86%. Candidates are required to secure at least 50pc marks in the admission test before they become eligible for consideration on open merit.
The latest results have once again highlighted the widening gap between marks awarded in public board examinations and students’ actual academic competence.
Education experts argue that when a substantial number of students securing 70% to 80% marks in intermediate examinations fail to clear a basic university admission test, the reliability of assessment standards and the quality of examinations conducted by some public boards come under serious scrutiny.
The findings also underscore long-standing governance failures within Sindh’s examination boards. Most boards have been functioning for years under ad hoc arrangements without permanent chairpersons, controllers of examinations, secretaries or audit officers.
The Hyderabad Board and the Karachi Matriculation Board have also remained without permanent chairpersons for months. Educationists say the absence of stable leadership, weak oversight and delayed institutional reforms have contributed to the continued decline in the credibility and academic standards of Sindh’s public examination boards, ultimately affecting the future of thousands of students.
