Qaim orders action to curb cheating in board exams

Karachi  

Taking notice of reports regarding widespread use of unfair practices at examination centres across the city, the Sindh chief minister has called for strict measures to be implemented against the mafias supporting such activities.

Qaim Ali Shah has directed the city commissioner and city police chief to initiate efforts to apprehend all mafia members involved in this racket, along with the education department officials under whose patronage this illegal business was flourishing.

His orders were also for the Sindh chief secretary, urging him to supervise these efforts and ensure that the evil of cheating was rooted out from the local examination system. This past week, the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) officially reported five impersonation cases and one cheating case during Thursday’s sittings. 

The BSEK’s report mentioned that five people were caught appearing for someone else’s exam, with all the cases emerging at Ghazi Muhammad Bin Qasim Government Boys Secondary School in Lyari, during the Arts Group’s English exam conducted in the evening shift.

According to a BSEK official, all five cases have been referred onto a disciplinary action committee to decide the future course of action.

Sharing further details, the official said candidates bearing roll numbers 255247, 255074, 252527, 252509 and 252508 were found involved in impersonation cases. The cheating case, the board official added, had been caught in the morning session at the Rehan Secondary School, Zaman Town. An examiner was also discharged from service over the case.

The BSEK representative added that another anomaly unearthed was the fact that non-teaching staff were performing invigilation duties in examination rooms.

He maintained that such staff was barred from invigilation duties and the centre superintendent had been duly warned about ensuring that only authorised staff would be allowed in the exam rooms. An examiner was also released from service for official negligence, added the BSEK official.