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&nbsp;Punjab Examination Commission ,PEC, had set, October 15, 2010 ,as deadline for grade-5 and grade- 8, students of public and private schools, to submit registration forms 
LAHORE:A controversy is expected over the upcoming grade-5 and grade-8 uniform examination this time again as thousands of students from private schools have yet to register for the exams scheduled for February 2011, it is learnt. 
The Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) had set October 15, 2010 as deadline for grade-5 and grade- 8 students of public and private schools to submit registration forms. However, according to the PEC sources, except for public sector schools, a large number of private schools have yet to submit forms of their students. 
They said it had been decided to extend the deadline but the cutoff date was yet to be decided in this regard. It is pertinent to mention here that over the years, the Punjab government has been facing a tough time from private schools for the conduct of the standardised exams. Every year, a controversy erupts and private schools openly oppose the uniform exams. This time again, the private sector&iacute;s lukewarm response to the PEC exams is astonishing as the Punjab government had already announced that grade-5 and grade-8 exams would be compulsory for 100 percent students of all government and private schools as well as partner private schools of the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) from primary to higher secondary level without any exception. 
Talking to The News, representatives of private sector schools strongly criticised the government, saying the Punjab government was insisting for uniform exams of grade-5 and grade-8 just to continue receiving funding from the foreign donors besides no other province had introduced this type of exam. 
All Pakistan Private Schools Welfare Association (APPSWA) President Syed Zulqarnain Shah said it was unfortunate that the Punjab government was forcing the private sector students to appear in the PEC exams while no other province was following such pattern of exams. He said that in this way, the provincial government alone could not ensure uniformity in education across the country. He also claimed that there was also shortage of textbooks in the market, adding that difference in syllabus followed by private and public schools was another issue. 
The APPSWA president also warned that if the government did not allow students of private schools, who would not take PEC exams, to appear in its boards&iacute; matriculation exams, private schools would go for Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) for affiliation. He said the private schools under the APPSWA would not go for registration of the PEC exams. 
All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) President Adeeb Jawadani was of the view that only those schools of the association would go for the PEC exams which were registered for 5th to 8th classes, adding that the students of those schools registered for matriculation would not sit in the PEC exams. He also said no where in the country, except in Punjab, the grade-5 and grade-8 exams were compulsory. 
It is also important to mention here that during a recent press conference, Chief Executive Officer of the Beaconhouse School System (BSS) Kasim Kasuri had said that it was yet to be decided whether the BSS or The Educators students would appear in the PEC exams. 
To a question, he had said that in his personal opinion, students of junior classes should not be tested. &igrave;We are not opposing this exam but I have ideological differences in this connection,&icirc; he added. 
According to the Punjab government statistics, over 2 million students had appeared in grade-5 and grade-8 PEC exams both from private and public sector in 2010. 
The News could not reach PEC Chief Executive Officer Capt (r) Naseem Nawaz despite repeated attempts on his cell phone.