IBCC Updates Policy: Math Students Now Eligible for Science Group Equivalence
The Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) has approved a key policy change allowing students with foreign qualifications who studied additional mathematics instead of biology, along with other required science subjects, to receive Science Group equivalence at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) level.
Previously, such students were automatically placed in the Arts Group, limiting their eligibility for intermediate-level science or engineering programs.
IBCC Executive Director Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah explained that the update is aimed at benefiting students and removing unnecessary barriers. “Excluding students from the Science Group simply because they did not study biology prevented many bright students from pursuing pre-engineering tracks,” he said.
Dr. Mallah noted that even students with over 90 percent marks were denied Science Group placement under the old system, creating challenges for ambitious learners.
Under the new rules, students who opted for mathematics over biology at the SSC level will now be eligible to apply for engineering and other science-based programs in their first year of intermediate studies, opening doors for future academic and career opportunities.
