Cluster system launched for Inter exams

PESHAWAR: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar has introduced a cluster system in three districts to prevent cheating and ensure smooth conduct of intermediate examinations starting May 7.

Over 130,000 candidates will appear across 420 centres, with 4,500 staff deployed through digital balloting under a policy focused on transparency, facilitation, and a harassment-free environment.

Speaking at a press conference at the BISE Peshawar, Commissioner of Peshawar Division Riaz Khan Mahsud, who also serves as chairman of the board, said that arrangements had been finalised to replicate the practice adopted in the recent matriculation exams.

He said deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners had been assigned supervisory roles, while the chief executive of PESCO had been formally requested to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during examination hours.

Students from Peshawar, Charsadda, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Mohmand, and Khyber districts will sit for the exams, with the new cluster system implemented in Peshawar, Charsadda, and Khyber. A total of 43 clusters have been established, each comprising 10 to 12 colleges within a three-kilometre radius.

Students from various institutions will be mixed across 10 to 15 halls per cluster, with up to 200 candidates accommodated in each hall. Due to geographical constraints, the system will not be applied in Chitral and Mohmand.