Probe into NTS ‘leaks’

The inquiry into the National Testing Service’s (NTS) practices is long overdue amid perpetual allegations of dishonest practices either by administrators or by exam takers. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), although having faced scrutiny on its own practices in the recent past, should be supported in its quest for the truth about alleged NTS irregularities. An immediate instruction should be passed requiring the NTS to review its policies and terminate any employee engaged in corrupt practices.

Suspicion around the case is enhanced when NTS officials, namely the CEO, maintain that no illicit activities have taken place. On the contrary, departments who have clean operations should welcome scrutiny without any sort of fear or defensive response. Dishonest practices by an entity that determines the future of students, possessing enormous power, creates a dire situation for the young adults who depend on the agency to help them decide their future career paths. One curious practice by the NTS, specifically, is the administration of tests that have been leaked. The reluctance to administer a replacement test can only be owed to a few reasons: laziness on NTS’ part to create a new test, costs inhibiting the like, or the fact that corrupt officials have been fed ample money to carry on test administration so as to enable the new generation of corrupt citizens who reject the merit system.

Considering that governments instituted in the last ten years since the establishment of the NTS have had their own allegations of depraved policies, entities operated by them such as the NTS deserve the same scrutiny and accountability. Should the investigation result in a null hypothesis – meaning allegations prove false, it would provide relief to many hopeful students and parents. With increasing competition in job markets and global standards of education rising, Pakistan requires a ubiquitously implemented merit-based system to allow children to succeed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2017.

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