Exam cheating scandal: Four board employees suspended; three transferred

LAHORE: Commissioner and Lahore Board Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa has suspended and transferred some board employees in connection with recent exam related malpractices.

Those suspended include Deputy Controller Mushtaq Ahmed and clerk Naveed from the Conduct Branch, Public Relations Officer (PRO) Qaiser Mahmood who holds the additional charge of Deputy Secretary Recognition and an assistant, Rasheed Ahmed, from the Controller’s staff.

Sources said PRO Qaiser Mahmood who was holding additional charge of Deputy Secretary Recognition had no say in the exam related duties as his primary responsibility was engaging with media and looking after affairs of registration/affiliation of schools as Deputy Secretary Recognition. Similarly, they said assistant Rasheed Ahmed from the Controller’s staff had no say in assigning/deputing exam related staff.

Meanwhile, some three employees have been internally transferred. It is worth mentioning that Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, who assumed the additional role of the Lahore Board’s Chairman on March 31, had initiated an inquiry against the Board officials, involved in the process of assigning examination-related duties.

The sources said that instead of taking action against the entire Conduct Branch officials who were responsible for appointing the exam related staff including superintendents and invigilators, the chairman took action against the staff of other branches. They alleged that some officials were made scapegoats for the failure of the Conduct Branch.

It is pertinent to mention here that during surprise raids by the School Punjab School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat and other BISE Lahore Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa it was revealed that at some exam centres private individuals were appointed as exam related staff during the ongoing Matric (Class-9) Annual Examinations 2024. These visits had also revealed widespread reports of cheating during the exams at different centers within the jurisdiction of BISE Lahore.

The News could not reach BISE Lahore Chairman/Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa for comments despite repeated attempts. Earlier the cabinet committee, constituted to probe the irregularities in the recent examinations, expressed serious concern as reports of cheating in examinations have emerged from other districts too.

The meeting of the Cabinet Committee to investigate the cheating issue and other irregularities in the ongoing examination process in Punjab was held in the Punjab Assembly Committee Room on Thursday.

The meeting chaired by Provincial Minister Bilal Yasin was attended by Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, Education Secretary, Additional Secretary Home, DIG Special Branch and officers from different education boards.

In the meeting, serious concern was expressed over the irregularities during the recent examinations. Bilal Yasin, head of the cabinet committee, said that all the institutions and individuals involved in the examination process should mend their ways and be more vigilant.

Reports of cheating and serious irregularities in the examination process are emerging from several districts, including Lahore. He said that appointment of private invigilators in the matriculation examinations and corruption is a question mark on the efficiency of the administration. Bilal Yasin said that all examination centres that provincial ministers are visiting were showing irregularities.

The management's reports were contrary to facts and will not work because our undercover teams in the field were bringing out all the facts. He said that the private invigilators caught red-handed doing corruption should be behind bars.

Bilal Yasin directed that the mistakes should not be repeated in the upcoming exams and administration should ensure the best arrangements. Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said that the elements playing with the future of children do not deserve any relaxation.

The provincial minister said that the candidates from whom the money was forcibly taken should be recovered. Administration was directed to implement a zero-tolerance policy regarding cheating in all future examinations.

It was recommended in the meeting that cases should be registered against the persons arrested from the examination centres under 16 MPO. Consideration was also given to installing cameras in examination rooms for future and recommendations were sought from all stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive policy regarding future examinations.