Overview
- Pakistan has a national curriculum for early years to Grade 12, which is followed by all schools in the country and abroad.
- At the secondary level, education is also regulated by exam boards, that are responsible for administering exams and issuing end-of-school certificates based on results from those exams. There are multiple boards in Pakistan, e.g., the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Lahore Board, Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, etc.
- In Pakistan, the language of instruction is Urdu, however in Abu Dhabi Pakistani private schools, the language of instruction tends to include both Urdu and English, dependent on the school and the individual subject.
Progression
- Schools are commonly divided into Kindergarten, Primary (1-5), Middle (6-8), Secondary (9-10) and Higher Secondary (11-12).
- The academic year for most Grades in the Pakistani system is from April to March, however for Grades 11 and 12 (Higher Secondary), the academic year is September to June.
- In Terminal Grades in secondary school (Grade 9 and 10), students may choose a combination of three subjects to study in addition to English, Urdu, Mathematics, Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies.
- In Higher Secondary Grades (11-12), students must study four core subjects: English, Urdu, Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies and three electives grouped into Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, General Science, Commerce and Humanities streams.
|
Stage |
Age |
Grade |
|---|---|---|
|
Kindergarten |
4-5 |
KG1 |
|
5-6 |
KG2 |
|
|
Primary |
6-7 |
1 |
|
7-8 |
2 |
|
|
8-9 |
3 |
|
|
9-10 |
4 |
|
|
10-11 |
5 |
|
|
Middle |
11-12 |
6 |
|
12-13 |
7 |
|
|
13-14 |
8 |
|
|
Secondary |
14-15 |
9 |
|
15-16 |
10 |
|
|
Higher Secondary |
16-17 |
11 |
|
17-18 |
12 |
Assessments
Secondary School Certificate (SSC) (Grades 9 and 10):
- The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) is a qualification acknowledging the skills and knowledge of students up to Grade 10. The SSC examinations are comprised of two parts, one administered at the end of Grade 9 (part 1), and the other at the end of Grade 10 (part 2).
- For Pakistani private schools in Abu Dhabi, the SSC examinations are developed and provided by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE).
Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) (Grades 11 and 12): The Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) is a qualification implemented in the last two years of school. As with the SSC, the examinations are comprised of two parts, one administered at the end of Grade 11 (part 1), and the other at the end of Grade 12 (part 2) by the FBISE.
Accreditation
- Pakistani schools participate in affiliation schemes developed by the various curriculum and school education boards in Pakistan. For international Pakistani private schools, they must be affiliated with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE).
- By participating in affiliation, schools establish a recognized association or ‘partnership’ with the board. Without affiliation, schools cannot deliver courses nor administer board examinations.