Girls Higher Secondary School Jacob Lines Examination Center in Karachi. PHOTO: JALAL QUERESHI/FILE
KARACHI:
The third day of annual matriculation exams was also marred by serious mismanagement, cheating allegations and poor facilities, while a separate case of an alleged “paid cheating” exam center was also registered.
Under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi, biology papers for classes IX and X were held in the morning across 521 centers where more than 385,529 students appeared in the exams. Section 144 was enforced around examination centers to maintain order.
Despite a visit by chairman Ghulam Hussain Soho, reports of irregularities continued. At a center in Malir, students were allegedly allowed to cheat collectively using mobile phones, while open cheating at Government Boys Secondary School, Kala Board, was allegedly unchecked.
Power outages at several centers further compounded the difficulties, forcing students to attempt papers in extreme heat. In Lyari, women students were seen sitting on mats due to lack of desks and chairs without alternative arrangements being made by the administration. A parent at a Kala Board center said she spends nearly Rs 14,000. per child on school fees along with extra tuition and digital learning costs, yet basic facilities are lacking at the exam centers. Students also reported severe discomfort, with a ninth-grader saying she had to fill out her paper on her lap due to broken furniture, making filling out the OMR sheet difficult and raising concerns about tearing.
Meanwhile, in a significant development, the Shah Latif Town police have registered a case against an investigation center in charge of allegedly facilitating fraud in exchange for money.
According to the FIR registered on the complaint of an education department employee in Bin Qasim Town, the in-charge of a school, identified as school teacher Hanif Malik, allegedly demanded Rs 5,000. per paper from students and parents to facilitate cheating. The complaint further stated that the allegations surfaced after a video was aired on a private television channel. Following the report, board chairman Ghulam Hussain blacklisted the center and ordered its closure.
