KARACHI: Speakers of a moot here Friday opined that the corrupt elite class of Sindh is against the uphold of merit and that they want to conduct a re-test for admissions in medical colleges so that their incompetent children who had failed in passing the NTS test could get admitted in medical colleges.
They were speaking at a “No to re-test” conference, organized by the Pasban-e-Pakistan at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), in which political and civil society leaders, as well as affected students and their parents, participated.
Justice (retired) Wajeehuddin Ahmed, who also presided over the moot, said that there is no proper examination system in Pakistan. He said cheating in exams, and helping children of the elite in these exams is an open secret.
Elaborating on the situation, he said that the rich Hindu community is known to give bribes for their children to get through exams. In the rural areas, the situation has further worsened. He said in last NTS test, 8 children of the poor Hindu scheduled caste community passed the test, while more than 100 children of rich Hindu people failed to pass it.
He claimed that some elected people of Hindu community played the main role in getting the NTS test cancelled and that the boy who had uploaded a fake leaked paper on Facebook has already confessed his crime.
He added that if the NTS test system is continued it will deprive the rulers and their lackeys of huge bribes and with the general elections next year, the ruling corrupt elements cannot afford to lose this huge money which is the reason why the provincial government of Sindh wants to oust the NTS and give contract to the IBA Sukkur.
“The other provinces have never maligned the NTS but the provincial government of Sindh is doing so with ulterior motives,” he said.
Wajeehuddin said that the inquiry report compiled by the government was not made public but was submitted before the SHC when it ordered so.
Speaking further, he said that the Pakistani nation has already rejected such one-sided reports and that he hoped that the SHC may constitute a fact-finding committee so that the truth and merit prevail. He asked the government not to put the future of 2000 students of Sindh who have passed the NTS test at the stake, so as to benefit 19000 other candidates who could not pass this test. He said this is necessary to keep the doors of corruption closed.
CPLC former chief Nazim F Haji said that the question of re-test of the NTS should not arise and that the government should have presented solid proofs and facts before cancelling the NTS test. He said that the provincial government failed in satisfying the Sindh high court.
Chief guest and noted neuro-physician of the country, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui said that the government should stop playing with the future of students who have passed the test. She said the medical profession is a noble profession and it should be kept away from fraud and corruption. She said:” If high moral values are not followed in the medical profession, precious lives of patients may go to the stake”.
She added that the children of rich, poor, urban, and rural students should have equal rights to get a quality education. She also mentioned that Dr Aafia Siddiqui had also dreamt of a justice-based quality education system in Pakistan, but through a conspiracy, her dream was turned sour. She laid stress on the fact that if we continued the murder of merit it would harm the credibility of our educational institutions.
She questioned the governments’ motivations by asking, “When the students themselves insist that no paper was leaked why is the government hell-bent to conduct a re-test?” and that “Is there is a guarantee that if the test is re-conducted it would be free from corruption and fraud?”
Dr Fowzia suggested radical improvements in performance and standard of the intermediate boards so that after passing the intermediate exam, the students need not sit in any admission test.
Pasban president and NED University Engineering and Technology former student union president Altaf Shakoor demanded to hold student union elections so that the elected leadership of students resolves their own problems. He said that due to a ban on student unions the country is not getting alternate leadership and resultantly the country has been facing immense problems including terrorism.
He said sons and daughters of the rulers get an education from Oxford but what he called a ‘Wadera government’ of Sindh is opposing admissions of the children of the poor on the basis of merit.