Corruption like before has once again compromised the integrity of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Part-II (Class 10th) Science group.
According to the national media reports, the physics exam paper for the tenth grade was leaked minutes after the exam started in Karachi. This shows the mismanagement of the examination board, which can have drastic impacts on the future of candidates.
Some local media reports cited that the first paper of matriculation exam in Karachi was leaked and was available at the low price of Rs200.
As per reports, the time of the examination was at 9:30 a.m. while the paper was shortly leaked on social media at 9:34 am while as per the rules and regulations of the board exams, no student can come out from any examination center before one hour.
Karachi education ministry officials claimed that Section 144 has been imposed in the surrounding areas of all examination centers while all photo state shops all closed.
Similarly, media reports suggest that the paper started late at several examination centers, including one in Malir where the students and their parents expressed disappointment over the situation.
Geo News reported that at a school in Surjani Town, the question paper was not delivered till 1 pm, with parents and the students still waiting for it. The paper had not arrived at the time this story was filed.
Furthermore, Geo News obtained videos showing students using mobile phones openly during the exam, despite a ban on doing so. As per details, solved papers were being shared on the phones which the students were using to cheat in the exams.
Authorities claim that they are looking into the issues. Education Minister Saeed Ghani issued a statement following reports of mismanagement on the first paper, saying he is “looking into” the issues.
“Education boards do not fall under my jurisdiction,” he clarified.
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It is not new for Karachi
It is worth mentioning that unfortunately, this is not new for Pakistan’s largest metropolitan, and such cases are historically very frequent for exams.
In 2019, as can be seen in the video, in six cities of Sindh including Sukkar, Larkana, Shakarpur, as the papers for the annual matric began, the question papers were leaked before the paper even began. The video mentioned, the ninth class exams were being sold at Rs300 each.
In 2017, the NTS paper leak was major news, as many officers of NTS were arrested. In the case, a petition was filed by candidates who succeeded in the pre-entry test for admission in medical colleges, in the Sindh High Court, maintaining that the papers had been leaked before the exam, which created many doubts about the transparency of the results. The leak amounted to cheating with deserving students.
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Education is a provincial matter, and thus the responsibility falls on the Sindh government. Thus, it is only imperative that the government focuses on improving the integrity of examinations, as this cheating has a huge opportunity cost in the children’s future.