Security concerns: Matric exams to be held under police supervision

Police patrol vans will also be deployed at examination centres

LAHORE: The annual matriculation examinations 2017 will be held under the supervision of the police department and police vans will be deployed at exam centres for patrolling. The papers will commence on March 1.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by Punjab Higher Education Minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore on Saturday.

The meeting to discuss arrangements for the upcoming annual examinations was attended by the chairmen of nine educational boards in Punjab along with representatives of the provincial higher education department (HED). The chairmen informed the minister about their respective boards’ arrangements.

The participants were informed that a composite security plan had been devised for the upcoming examinations. In order to maintain full security, the exams would be held under police supervision and patrol vans would make rounds of the exam centres. The invigilating staff has also been imparted necessary training for the exam.

District-level control rooms would be set up to monitor the situation as well as to ensure the security of students and invigilating staff. Mobile checking teams of educational boards would also conduct surprise checking to ensure transparency and smooth functioning of exams.

The exams would also be monitored by the offices of the higher education minister, the higher education department as well as the chairmen and controllers of examinations of all nine boards.

Minister Gillani said all arrangements had been finalised for holding the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Annual Examination 2017.“Foolproof security arrangements will be made around examination centres so students can sit in exams with peace of mind,” he was quoted as saying.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2017.