Corrupt clerks were hired by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) to meet Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s 45-days deadline to announce the Intermediate part one results, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.
“Meeting the CM’s deadline to appease the masses was a greater priority for the BISE than accuracy and honesty,” the source said, adding, “No matter how notorious they are the Board cannot function without these clerks.”
STUDENT RAISE HAVOC: In another development, a large number of students from Okara, Sheikhupura, Kasoor and various areas of Lahore protested against the Punjab government and Provincial Education Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman following persistent errors in their Intermediate results.
The students blocked the road in front of the BISE and demanded the resignation of the education minister, condemned the CM and President Asif Ali Zardari as they deemed they were suffering because of the government’s poor policies. During the protest, students were tortured by the police, while a number of them were also held hostage by the BISE staff to bar them from protesting against the government.
“Punjab’s education minister should resign, we have never seen such mismanagement before,” said Salman, a student. He alleged that the police had tortured students upon the Punjab government’s instructions, adding that they would continue their protests with increased vehemence.
BISE DENIES ALLEGATIONS: On the other hand, BISE Spokesman Qaiser Virk said the students who had failed were the ones who were protesting so their protest carried no weight and there were no errors in the result.
The Punjab CM bowed under pressure and cancelled the Intermediary part one results in four boards last week, including Lahore BISE. Students held the CM responsible for the mismanagement and errors in the online system.
Moreover, instead of suspending the education minister, the CM suspended various BISE officials, including the chairman, controller, secretary and Online Coordinator Majid Naeem.
The rechecking of papers at BISE is ongoing, and although examiners from local colleges and private institutions have been hired by BISE, they too were seen relying on BISE clerks, who are deemed experts in result preparation.
A senior BISE official said the corruption mafia had not coded the roll numbers, making them visible to those who were rechecking the papers.
Another BISE clerk condemned the CM and said the corruption mafia in BISE had been kept under control by the efforts of a large number of honest employees. However, because of the mismanagement and ineptness of the education minister, corruption would reign once again. A computer department official said the online system was not faulty and had curbed the corruption mafia’s activities. However, the Punjab government had not been able to handle the problem efficiently. He said the CM was relying upon his traditional warning style but the examination system could be not cured in this manner, as merely suspending officials was not enough. He said the education boards required the CM’s personal attention, if he got time off from his political activities.
BISE Chairman Malik Allahbaksh denied the allegations and said the rechecking was transparent and the roll numbers had been coded.
