Karachi Board of Secondary Education has planned many corrective steps to effectively control the use of unfair means at examination centers.
BSE Chairman Professor Dr Saeed-ud-din, in an interview here, said the board authorities were definitely alive and concerned about weaknesses in the examination system. Better arrangements were needed to be made by the board, the city administration and also Sindh Education Department.
He said among various corrective measures, BSE in coordination with Sindh Education Department would hold a series of seminars and workshops from the next month to train the people involved that how to make question papers and how to assess the answer sheets in the best possible manner so that the talented and hardworking students and teachers were encouraged, and cheaters and their facilitators were discouraged.
“Type of questions papers can play an important role in containing use of unfair means,” he emphasized. BSEK Chairman admitted that he had received information that most of the private school owners used to campaign and got listed their schools as examination centres to allegedly facilitate cheating. Most of these schools are almost covered with residences, which makes it very difficult to keep vigilance and control cheating being done through different methods.
During past examinations, there were also reports of special rooms at many examinations centers especially at private schools. Senior subject teachers were used to be arranged for helping selected groups of students solve their question papers in these special rooms. He assured that the board would strictly implement its policy that government schools would be used as examination centers.
In case of non-availability, the private schools at isolated points or at least not closely surrounded with residencies would be selected for this very sensitive and important task to ensure proper monitoring by the board officials and law enforcing agencies. He also informed that the board has planned to provide furniture and other logistics to government schools, wherever required for holding examinations in better environment.
In the light of reports during last examinations, he said very effective checks including jammers would be applied to stop the use of mobile phones especially smart ones for cheating in examinations. Professor Dr Saeed-ud-din said logistic and manpower support was needed from Sindh Education and Home departments to better control cheating practices inside and from outside the examination centers.
He would also make his best efforts to control slipping of question papers outside examination centers before or during examination hours. About the post examination malpractices, he said policy and structural changes would be made to block access to examiners/teachers assessing the answer sheets, and the board officials by students and their relatives or agents for tempering with the results.
