BIEK claims fall flat as five papers leaked since start of intermediate exams

The tall claims made by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) regarding the prevention of cheating culture in the ongoing Higher Secondary School Certificate annual examinations have fallen flat.

Cheating is prevalent with full impunity in the exams which began on April 24, while as of Friday, five question papers had been leaked from the exam centres. Most of these leaked papers were circulated on social media and were also available at photocopy shops 10 to 30 minutes before the exam was to begin.

According to several news reports, despite the secrecy, the question paper for Zoology Part-II was leaked on April 24, some 30 minutes before the exam, while the paper for Botany Part-II was circulated on social media on April 26 about 10 minutes before the exam.

In the same way, the papers for Statistics Part-II and Mathematics Part-II were leaked from the examination centres and were available on social media as well as at photocopy shops even though the board officials have already announced the implementation of Section 144 in the surroundings of exam centres barring photocopy store owners from opening shop during exam hours.

When contacted, BIEK Chairman Prof Inam Ahmed denied all such reports and insisted that the exams were “going smoothly.” He claimed that a group of reporters, some professors and lecturers “were spreading fake news about the board officials” to distract from the underway exams.

“The leaking of papers only 10 to 30 minutes before the start of an exam is not a big issue because candidates would attempt their papers within the same hour and in such a short time period they could do nothing [to cheat],” he said.

Ahmed further claimed at the board’s former controller of exams was involved in leaking internal information to the media with the help of some board employees, but the senior management was committed to countering such stories.

He said Section 144 has been imposed in the vicinities of exam centres and the concerned authorities have been informed to ensure that the examination process remains uninterrupted. Even media reporters are not allowed to go inside the exam centres with cameras, Ahmed said.

Moreover, the board did admit to problems with the process. In press release issued on Friday, it was stated that so far 30 case of use of unfair means have been registered from various exam centres.

BIEK-SPLA tussle

Last year, when Sindh’s Anti-Corruption Establishment and Counter Terrorism Department conducted inquiries into the malpractice of BIEK officials, the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association and the board officials started blaming each other for the failure malpractice in the exams process. Since then, the association has been refusing to perform duties in the examinations as Centre Controlling Officers and refused to be a part of vigilance teams.

The SPLA has also boycotted invigilation duties this year. The teachers’ body said they would remain neutral to the ongoing exams until the BIEK’s chairman took back his accusatory remarks against the SPLA’s leadership.

SPLA Central Leader Ferozuddin Siddiqui said that the board has no mechanism to root out cheating culture in the exams. According to him, the board has inducted the most junior lecturers in vigilance teams and they don’t have the required experience and capacity to monitor exams. Although, vigilance teams generally comprise four members, thus year the board has only formed two-member teams. “It is amazing that the vigilance teams have not reported any single case of unfair means use in the ongoing annual exams,” he said.

Siddiqui claimed that BIEK officials had been insulting and threatening SPLA members, and had dragged the teachers of colleges to the unnecessary controversies. The board high-ups had put their failure on the shoulders of teachers which has placed the futures of thousands of students at risk, he added.

On the other hand, BIEK chairman Ahmed responded to Siddiqui’s allegations by saying that the SPLA group led by him was involved in malpractices during the previous examinations conducted under the BIEK.

He said the group had itself refused to perform duties at exam centres and added that the board had received many complaints that the group was taking money from candidates to increase their marks. “It was not me but the counter terrorism department that revealed in its inquiry report last year that SPLA has close links with cheating material providers,” he added.