LAHORE – Final examinations of class nine started from Monday but students continued to face problems including load shedding of 10 hours, Pakistan Today has learnt. Students are still facing problems because of the online system and parents and students are still visiting the offices of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) to rectify the problems in the roll number slips. Students claim that with advent of summers, they will face extreme problems during the exams. They blamed WAPDA for the situation and said that it should have made alternative arrangements in this regard.
Class nine examinations are taking place at 913 centers in which 0.2 million candidates are appearing. Student Jamal said that discrimination has become a common habit in our country. He said that students who could not afford to do O Levels had to opt for Matriculation, which had many problems. Jamal said that O Levels students gave examinations in air-conditioned rooms while Matriculation students were denied all such facilities. He said that lack of coordination between superintendents of examination centers was also an issue.
BISE Public Relations Officer Qaiser told Pakistan Today that summers have not started yet and board officials will request WAPDA to change the schedule of load shedding during Intermediate Examinations which are scheduled in May. He said that if students face any problems regarding load-shedding, board officials have already advised the superintendents to open the windows of the examination centres.
A relative of a class nine girl, standing outside the BISE Office, told Pakistan Today that when her niece went to the examination centre, her name was not in the list although she was allowed to give the papers but now, her father has come here to rectify the problem. He criticised the online system and said that students had never faced these types of problems before.
Student Akram was upset about the schedule of the exams, claiming that exams during the most crucial stages of the Cricket World Cup will definitely spoil their plans. He said that whenever the cricket team starts performing well, exams also start at the same time. Akram said that hours long load-shedding is also disturbing the students during preparation of the exams.
Students, appearing in the Intermediate Examinations in May, fear intense load shedding during the exams and have asked WAPDA to coordinate with the board officials in order to facilitate the students during the exams. Parents are also concerned about the prevailing situation and said that there is a huge difference between Matriculation exams and O Levels exams. They claimed that this discrimination would lead to unrest in the country.
