University admission test exposes gaps in Sindh education

The NED University entrance exam results have highlighted a notable trend: although Cambridge International students secured an impressive 89% pass rate, many high-performing students from Sindh’s local boards, including those with A1 grades, failed to pass the test.

In the first phase of the entry test, a total of 9,388 students appeared. Out of these, 6398 students passed while 2990 failed. This sets the overall pass rate at 68.1 percent. Students from the Karachi Board showed strong performance, with 5951 candidates appearing. Of them, 4564 passed and only 1,387 failed, giving a failure rate of 23.4 percent. Federal Board students followed with a pass rate of 78.5 percent. Cambridge International students did even better, with 455 out of 483 candidates passing.

However, students from interior Sindh boards struggled. The Hyderabad Board had 764 candidates, but 406 failed, resulting in a 53.3 percent failure rate. From Larkana Board, 322 students appeared and 219 failed, showing a 68.1 percent failure rate. Mirpur Khas had 522 candidates, of which 308 failed, marking a 59.1 percent failure rate. In Nawabshah, 261 students took the test, with 144 failing (55.2 percent). The Sukkur Board had 266 candidates, and 176 could not pass, making the failure rate 66.2 percent.

These results highlight a major gap between students of different regions and boards. Despite many interior board students having good grades in their exams, most could not meet the 50 percent passing requirement for the NED entrance test. Officials believe this difference shows the need for equal academic standards and better preparation support across all regions.