Cheating scandal

For as long as there have been examinations, there have been students trying to gain an unfair advantage. But what has been happening in Sindh during the intermediate and matriculation examinations this summer goes far beyond just crib notes and peeking at other students’ papers. Thanks to a combination of technology and official complicity, the entire examination process in the province has been tainted and it has taken the government far too long to take any action. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah finally took notice of the cheating epidemic and ordered that examination papers only be printed in the presence of district administration officials. He also ordered the Counter-Terrorism Department to take action against the ‘examination mafia’, while imposing Section 144 at all examination centres in the province. It is unlikely this will end the problem. Under Section 144, no one is allowed to bring mobile phones into the centres and unauthorised persons are not permitted entry either. But this should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. It is also unclear how the presence of district officials during the printing process will help since it seems the government itself is compromised. Officials of the Mithi education department and former officials of the Karachi board are among those on the list of suspects and it is likely many others have been paid off too.

In most of the cases of cheating, examination papers have been leaked in advance on WhatsApp groups. Being able to trace those leaking and receiving the papers should not be difficult but it is discouraging that the DG CTD concentrated on two members of the mafia who are supposedly based in Rajasthan and Gujarat – in India. The government needs to realise the problem is homegrown, and that officials have likely been bought off. The cheating epidemic is not just restricted to Sindh, although the province may be the most compromised. If our examinations are not recognised as legitimate, we are hurting the many millions of students who take them honestly. Colleges both at home and abroad will not accept their results and the entire examination process will essentially be worthless. The integrity of our entire educational system is at risk and the response so far does not treat it like the emergency that it is.