BSEK reschedules matric exams for NA-246 by-poll

KarachiIn order to ensure that the by-election to National Assembly constituency NA-246 in Karachi is held according to schedule, the examination authorities have rescheduled Secondary School Certificate (classes IX and X) Annual Examinations 2015.Students preparing for their matriculation examinations in the city were informed on Tuesday that their exams starting

By Zeeshan Azmat
March 25, 2015
Karachi
In order to ensure that the by-election to National Assembly constituency NA-246 in Karachi is held according to schedule, the examination authorities have rescheduled Secondary School Certificate (classes IX and X) Annual Examinations 2015.
Students preparing for their matriculation examinations in the city were informed on Tuesday that their exams starting on April 7 would end on April 21 instead of April 25.
The Board of Secondary Education Karachi was left with no other option but to revise the schedule for the SSC annual exams to make room for the by-election, showing that the election authorities do not care about matric students in the city.
The district election commissioner and returning officer for NA-246 (Karachi Central), Syed Nadeem Haider, has written a letter to the BSEK chairman and informed him that the election commission has announced a schedule for the bye-election.
In the letter, Haider has suggested that the board office either reschedule the papers due on April 22 and 23 or arrange to shift the examination centres from the schools selected as polling stations to any other centre.
The district election commissioner has said that he has learnt from the date sheet of classes IX and X annual examinations that papers are scheduled for the same day when the by-poll is scheduled.
He says some 2,013 polling stations have been established for the by-poll election, mostly in government schools which may also be the examination centres for the upcoming SSC examinations. He has sent a copy of his letter to the regional election commissioner, Karachi, and the city commissioner.
The provincial election commissioner has been requested to communicate the situation to the ECP for further guidance and necessary directions.
The BSEK official has said they had no other choice other than entertaining the election authorities as they did not give so much room to the board office. Unhappy with directions from the election authorities, the board has reduces gaps during papers which would ultimately burden the students.
According to the board office senior officer, the BSEK will issue new and updated examination schedule on Wednesday (today) and ask the candidates to collect new date sheets to avoid any untoward situation.