High-achievers in trouble over laptops

BISE chairman says condition of certificate to ensure only bona-fide students get laptops

LAHORE

Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Lahore, instead of making it a comfortable experience for the intermediate level students has made it difficult and a bit pricey for them to get free laptops under the Chief Minister’s Laptop Scheme.

The board authorities instead of directly asking the education institutions, where the students are currently enrolled in the intermediate level classes, to provide list of their bona-fide students who are eligible for the award of laptops has put the students in trouble by directing them to collect “bona-fide student certificate” from their respective institutions and submit to the board along with other documents.  

The students argue that since they passed their matriculation from the same examination board there was no need of submitting B-Form again but the BISE authorities were demanding the same too along with the certificate. 

The students said their institutions were demanding money for issuance of “bona-fide student certificate”. They argue that the Board instead of asking the students, sh0uld have directly contacted their educational institutions and get their data. “Our university, the GC University is charging Rs 600 per student for this certificate”, said one of the students who wished not be be named. 

A GCU official, seeking anonymity, said the fee against “Bona-fide Student Certificate” was duly approved by the varsity’s syndicate and added that the Board should have directly contacted institutions for lists of bona-fide and eligible students. A Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) teacher also confirmed that the varsity had set a minimal fee against such certificate according to the approval of the statutory body. 

Father of a student who goes to Kinnaird College said that on one hand the government was honouring the high-achievers by awarding laptops to them but on the other hand the entire process was made troublesome. 

“The first year students are already free and at homes after send-up exams. Now they have been made to make rounds of their college and the Board offices to fulfill the requirements,” he added. He suggested since the Board had all the data, it directly contact institutions and arrange the ceremonies at respective institutions of the students to honour them truly. 

When contacted, Punjab Higher Education Department Additional Secretary Ajmal Bhatti expressed ignorance vis-à-vis such condition for the award of laptops and said he would look into the issue.

Lahore BISE Chairman Prof Ch Muhammad Ismail said the Board was following the government’s instructions and added that the condition for bona-fide certificate was in place so that only the students who were continuing further education get the laptops. 

Prof Ismail further said the condition of B-Form or copy of father’s CNIC was meant to ensure no mala-fides on the part of the candidates. “There had been instances in past where some candidates got more than one laptop”, he added. To a question he said students who secured 90 percent and above marks were eligible to apply for the award of laptop.