The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday granted interim permission to student Hanzala Hasnat who challenged the Punjab government’s education policy that bars under 12 years students to attempt grade-9 examination, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The court sought replies from all parties till September 8. LHC’s Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir heard the petition.

The petition made Faisalabad Chairman Intermediate Education Board, Principal High School Jhang and others as a party to the case.

On behalf of the petitioner, Samra Malik Advocate, in the petition, took a stand that Chairman Board of Intermediate Education Faisalabad has stopped the admission of a student who is under 12 years of age. 

“The annual examinations of the ninth class have been postponed due to coronavirus pandemic. The ban on students under the age of 12 from taking the ninth-grade exams has already been repealed by an LHC bench.”

She said that withholding of Class-IX examination on the basis of age, less than 12 years will cause irreparable loss to her client. 

However, the Board of Education's counsel argued that the rules do not allow a child under the age of 12 to appear in the ninth-grade examinations and argued that the application should be dismissed as inadmissible.