First-year results: After vociferous protests, BISE starts paper scrutiny

Students throng education board against ‘unjust marking’

LAHORE: A large number of students gathered outside the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore on Friday to have their Intermediate Part-1 examination papers re-evaluated by the board.

The re-evaluation process started after hundreds of students took to the streets and protested outside the Lahore Press Club and The Mall on Thursday against ‘unjust marking’. They demanded that their papers be rechecked, upon which the chief minister took notice of the protest and ordered an investigation.

The BISE Lahore also announced that students could file an application and have their papers rechecked by the board.

Hammad, a student present at the BISE Lahore office, said that he had submitted an application to have several of his papers rechecked.

He complained that he was not satisfied with the results and had protested a day earlier to have his papers rechecked.

He said that the board officials had given him a handwritten note, confirming his application but he expressed doubt about the outcome of the protest, saying the board usually only recounted the numbers rather than re-evaluating the papers.

Other students also expressed similar concerns, but a large crowd of students was witnessed at the board office. A special counter had been set up by the board to facilitate students. However, because of the large number of students attempting to submit their applications, many students were asked to return on Monday to submit their applications.

When contacted, BISE Lahore spokesperson Qaiser Virk said the board would facilitate students and the rechecking process was underway.

When asked about the students’ concerns regarding recounting rather than rechecking, he said the papers would be presented before a committee which would re-examine the whole paper and decide accordingly.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2016.