30 per cent matric students fail Peshawar board exam

E-Paper | October 01, 2026

30 per cent matric students fail Peshawar board exam

Mohammad Ashfaq Published August 5, 2026

Elementary and secondary education secretary Mohammad Khalid in a group photo with the position holders in SSC exam result of BISE Peshawar on Tuesday. — White Star

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PESHAWAR: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar on Tuesday declared the results of the annual Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations, with around 30 per cent of 10th grade students and nearly 60 per cent of 9th graders remaining unsuccessful.

According to the exam result gazette issued by the BISE Peshawar, 95,496 students sat the grade 10 board exam but around 30 per cent of them (27,788) failed to pass it. The successful candidates totalled 66,988.

Similarly, 97,950 ninth grade students appeared in the board exam but only 40 per cent of them (39,103) passed it.

A total of 57,847 were declared unsuccessful in one paper or more but they’re promoted to the 10th grade. They will have to clear those papers in the annual SSC-II examination.

Pass percentage is just 40 among 9th graders

In 10th grade, the pass percentage in the regular Science Group female students remained 84.95, with 21,078 of the total 24,813 candidates being successful.

However, the pass rate in the regular Science Group male students was 69.71 per cent as 36,432 of the total 52,263 boys passed the exam.

In the Arts Group, the pass percentage in regular female students remained 64.86, with 4,654 out of 7,176 candidates passing the exam.

A total of 36.39 per cent of the regular male students in the group

As for boys, 1,294 of the total 3,576 candidates passed the examination, with the percentage reaching 36.39.

The students of Peshawar Model Girls High School-II, Dalazak Road, maintained their academic excellence by clinching the top three positions in the overall examination.

The exam results were declared during an award distribution ceremony held on the board premises for top position holders.

Education secretary Mohammad Khalid was the chief guest on the occasion, where Peshawar BISE chairman Khuda Bakhsh, Controller of Examinations Inamullah Shah and position holders along with their teachers and parents were present.

Omama Ali of Peshawar Model Girls High School-II, Dalazak Road, topped the board by securing 1,182 out of a total of 1,200 marks.

She was followed by Syed Atika Shah, who obtained the second position with 1,178 marks, while Hareem Khan secured the third position with 1,177 marks. They all belong to the same institution.

Among special children, Mehmood Ayaz Khankhail, a student of Umeed Special Education School, Warsak Road, Peshawar, stood first with 1,060 marks. Rabia Bibi and Mohammad Azan Khalid, both students of the same school, secured the second and third positions with 1,052 and 1,051 marks, respectively.

Meanwhile, girls clinched top positions in the annual matriculation board examinations in both science and arts groups in the Abbottabad district, according to exam results.

Controller of Examinations at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Abbottabad Prof Babar Ayaz Abbasi declared the exam results during a special ceremony on Tuesday.

A total of 72,677 students sat the examination and 80.08 per cent of them (57,952) remained successful. Around 11,307 students got A-Plus and 16,301 A grades.

The exam results showed that the top three positions in Arts Group were bagged by girls.

Zainab Bibi of Government Girls High School Baldher Haripur stood first with 1131 marks, while Zainab Tahir (1075 marks) and Khansa Bibi (1072 marks), both from the Government Girls Higher School Sarae-Saleh Haripur obtained second and third positions, respectively.

In Science Group, the top three slots went to students of Tameer-e-Wattan School and College’s Mansehra and Abbottabad branches. Ayesha Zeb (Mansehra) stood first with 1167 marks, Fatima Jadoon (Abbottabad) second with 1163 marks and Uswa Mehreen (Mansehra) third with 1160 marks.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026

Pakistan

Mohammad Ashfaq is a Peshawar-based reporter for Dawn covering educational policy, local government systems, and provincial politics, including proceedings of the KP Assembly. He can be found on X at @mashfaqdawn.

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Hamid

Aug 06, 2026 11:01pm

The matriculation results announced by various educational boards across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have shown a pass percentage of approximately 40% during the last two years. This unusually low success rate has raised concerns among students, parents, teachers, and civil society regarding the transparency and fairness of the assessment process. At the same time, the provincial government has proposed the unification of educational boards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing administrative and financial considerations. The proposal, however, has reportedly faced resistance from certain stakeholders within the existing boards who may be concerned about the loss of institutional autonomy and associated benefits. A perception has emerged among sections of the public that the high failure rate and lower-than-expected marks awarded to many candidates may have resulted in increased applications for rechecking, re-totaling, paper scrutiny, and improvement examinations. Since these processes require payment of prescribed fees, questions have been raised regarding whether the examination system creates incentives that contribute to additional revenue generation for the boards. To address these concerns and restore public confidence, an independent inquiry commission may be constituted comprising retired High Court judges, experienced professors, and assessment experts. The commission should examine: The marking and evaluation process adopted by all boards. The reasons for the significant decline in pass percentages. The accuracy of tabulation and result compilation procedures. Complaints regarding unmarked or improperly checked answer scripts. The volume and outcomes of rechecking and re-totaling applications. The financial impact of these applications on board revenues. The commission should be empowered to conduct random audits of answer scripts and evaluation records and submit recommendations to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the examination system. Such an independent review would help determine whether the concerns are supported by evidence and would strengthen public trust in the educational assessment process. It should be noted that, without official evidence or findings from an independent investigation, claims that papers were not checked or that students were deliberately failed remain allegations and should be presented as concerns requiring inquiry rather than established facts.

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Ihtisham Ul Haq

Aug 07, 2026 12:23am

Hello Reporter! I appreciate your reporting on this matter for how detailed you've reported the whole result in such a good manner and mentioned the position holder students' names for their appreciation, but I have a deep disappointment and objection at the same time. You have not mentioned the students from the Usmania Post Graduate College/Usmania Children Academy, also known as Jamia Usmania, as the primary and preferred name of the institution. They got the First and Third positions in the Arts Group. Are they not the students from the same board as Peshawar Model's. Please correct your misrepresentation and avoid discrimination if that's what made you skip their names . If this is not the reason, then give them credit and appreciate their achievement as well, just like others. Be honest and be just in what you report to the audience. It's just a humble request as a citizen of this country and as a subscriber of the DAWN News. Thank you ????

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