Foreign Boards Now Under Education Ministry, IBCC

A parliamentary subcommittee has directed that all international examination boards functioning in Pakistan must now operate under the official supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education and the Inter-Board Coordination Commission IBCC. This decision was taken during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Subcommittee on Federal Education, held at the IBCC headquarters and presided over by MNA Sabheen Ghoury. A major point of concern in the session was the recent leak involving Cambridge O and A Level exam papers. The students can get latest updates of Foreign Boards Now Under Education Ministry, IBCC.

Committee members raised serious questions regarding the security breach, which affected three question papers from Cambridge Assessment International Education CAIE. A representative from CAIE confirmed that three papers had been compromised. In response, Cambridge will offer students either grade adjustments under its special consideration policy or a chance to retake the exams in November 2025 at no extra cost.

The subcommittee also emphasized the need for independent third-party investigations for any future incidents involving exam leaks. The session further explored the legal and tax status of international exam boards in Pakistan. The British Council clarified that Cambridge exams are delivered under a government-to-government arrangement.

Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, the Executive Director of IBCC, announced that an upcoming meeting will be held with representatives from all foreign boards to develop a coordinated framework for operations and assessment. He highlighted the IBCC’s core responsibility of harmonizing assessment standards and building educational linkages at both national and international levels. Invitations for this policy discussion have already been issued.

In a statement released on June 30, Cambridge University identified the leaked papers as AS & A Level Mathematics Papers 12 and 42, and Computer SCAIEnce Paper 22. While the results will be released as planned, candidates who took the affected exams can choose to sit for a rescheduled version in the November 2025 session free of charge. Schools will be informed about the registration process once the June 2025 results are released, and private candidates will receive guidance through the British Council.