The National Standing Committee on Education comprising members of the Senate and National Assembly has called for the Ministry of Federal Education and Cambridge International Education to review and rationalise Rs60,000 fee per Cambridge exam paper in Pakistan.
The fee must take into account students’ affordability, operational costs and global benchmarks, the committee said. The standing committee has issued details of proceedings of its meeting which consisted of 30 points, most of which were related to the Cambridge exams.
The committee recommended that the Ministry of Federal Education along with relevant stakeholders establish a clear and comprehensive regulatory mechanism to govern the administration of international board examinations, including that of Cambridge, in Pakistan to ensure transparency, and consistency.
The committee recommended that the Cambridge International Education must implement corrective measures before July 2025 to address the exam paper leak, ensuring affected students could secure university admissions without facing academic setbacks.
The committee recommended that the Cambridge International Education (CIE) either adjust the grade threshold to compensate affected students or retake the examination with results released by August 11. Should neither option be feasible, the CIE must propose and implement an alternative fair solution at the earliest, the standing committee said.
It also raised concerns about the security protocols and exam administration processes in Cambridge-registered private schools, emphasising the need for stricter oversight. The committee recommended that private schools should submit comprehensive details of their current security measures and exam administration procedures with the committee.
A thorough investigation must be conducted to identify the source of the breach, hold accountable those responsible for the breach and strengthen security protocols to prevent future incidents, the committee said.
It recommended that the students be given the flexibility to choose between two options; either a free retake of the exam or receiving adjusted grades. The committee also stated that if specific questions from multiple papers were compromised, the possibility of full-paper leaks could not be ignored. The CIE should reassess its inquiry report to address these concerns, as the current conclusions risk undermining confidence in the examination system, it said.
The committee stated that a free exam retake in July could serve as a viable solution for the affected students and this option should be carefully considered either for final-year students whose academic progression and university admissions depended heavily on these results or, more broadly, for all candidates who sat the June 2025 examination series. The committee also recommended that periodic updates be shared with stakeholders on progress and corrective actions.
Had Cambridge addressed the 2024 breaches effectively, the 2025 leaks could have been avoided, the committee stated. It also asked the Ministry of Federal Education to address the problem of absence of memorandums of understanding with Cambridge and the British Council.
Published in News Daily on 23 July 2025.
