CM Murad, education minister pay surprise visits; city commissioner
says administration on high alert to curb cheating
Sohailur Rehman, the principal of Government College of Education, FB Area, was attacked by unidentified people on Tuesday for attempting to stop students from cheating in their intermediate exam.
Timely managing to take shelter inside the college’s premises, the principal alleged that suspects vandalised his car and broke its windows.
The police arrived at the college after Rehman registered a complaint.
Representatives of Professors and Lecturers Association (RPLA) also gathered outside the the academic institution to show solidarity with the college’s principal.
Board of intermediate education chairman, Prof Inam Ahmed, called Rehman to his office to register a written complaint regarding the incident.
Earlier, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested four suspects for their involvement in leaking intermediate examination papers, according to sources. The identities of the suspects were, however, yet to be revealed.
The CTD were investigating operators of four WhatsApp groups leaking examination papers. Through the groups, the officials were able to trace a Facebook IP of a suspect.
On May 6, the question paper for a physics exam to be conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) was leaked.
Earlier, the mathematics paper for intermediate part-II was made public before time; a total of six question papers have been leaked this year.
Examinations have been hit by a storm of tech-savvy cheating techniques, which have raised questions over the government’s lacklustre management, corrupt administration, and the use of innovative methods by the cheating mafia.
After cases of leaked exams papers surfaced, the chief minister handed over the investigation to Sindh CTD officials.
Additional Inspector General Sanaullah Abbasi while speaking to Geo News said that a two-member committee – headed by DIG CTD Amir Farooqui - has been formed.
Dahar surprise visits
The provincial education minister, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, during his surprise visits to the Government City College, in Gulberg, and the Government Commerce College near PIDC, found several students in possession of their mobile phones.
He directed all students to hand over their phones to the invigilators and warned of confiscating them for good if they brought the phones inside the examination centre again.
During the visit, Dahar inspected various examination rooms and advised students to shun the practice of cheating. He said their was an urgent need to curb cheating at all costs.
The minister added that for putting an end to cheating, all stakeholders of the society including teachers, parents, students and the media have to be on one page.
City commissioner
APP adds: Commissioner Karachi Eijaz Ahmed Khan asserted that the entire city administration had been put on high alert to prevent cheating during the ongoing matric and intermediate examinations.
He said that deputy commissioners and mukhtiarkars have all been directed to keep a look out for elements involved in cheating at examination centres; the officials, he added, would remain at the centres till all examinations have ended.
This, he observed, during a meeting held with deputy commissioners to have the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s directives with respect to putting an end to cheating, implemented.
Murad had given the orders after his visit to the Government Commerce and Economic College and other exams centres along with the Additional IG Karachi.
Khan said those using unfair means to clear their papers are belittling the untiring efforts of intelligent students who study for their exams day in and day out.
During his visit to various centres, he directed both the academic and non-academic staff to not let anyone use mobile phones inside the examination centres.
While speaking to parents of students standing outside the examination centres, he urged them to ensure their children do not carry mobile phones to the centres if they wish for a better future for them (children).
He also briefed everyone present about the process of registering a complaint against cheating.