Children give matric papers amid power supply cuts in Karachi

KARACHI:

Load shedding of electricity occurred in several examination centers during the annual examination of class 9 and 10 under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK).

Students were forced to take the exam in extreme heat. Many narrated ordeal of sweat drops falling on exam paper and smearing the ink.

Moreover, students faced difficulties due to sudden change of many examination centers.

BSEK Chairman Sharaf Ali Shah along with board staff and media visited Gulistan Shah Abdul Latif Boys Campus examination center and reviewed the arrangements.

BSEK Secretary Syed Muhammad Ali Shaikh and Controller Examination Habibullah Sahag were present on the occasion.

Shah, while talking to The Express Tribune, said students were forced to sit the exam in extreme heat due to the load shedding by K-E. "We had written a letter to K-E a week ago to ensure uniterupted power supply during exam timings, but to no avail."

Regarding change of locations, Shah said that some private school owners refused to host exams at the eleventh hour due to which the students faced difficulties, but to avoid this problem, the superintendent has been instructed not to withhold the paper of the student but to allow them to solve the paper in the examination center based on the current list and they are also instructed not to withhold the student from solving paper in case of mistake in admit card. This problem can be solved after the exams.

Regarding steps to control cheating, Shah said that 93 vigilance teams of the government, district administration and the board visited various examination centers to control copying and cheating.

Students and parents said that the change of the center and non-supply of electricity has caused mental anguish.

In the examination center established in Nazimabad No2, the school administration kept the students of the second shift standing outside in the sun for half an hour while checking. The paper, which was to be started at 2:30pm and entry was allowed at 3:00pm.

Energy minister takes notice

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh also took notice of the power outages during the matriculation examinations across the province.

In some districts like Sukkur, Nawabshah and Tharparkar temperatures were soaring to 38 to 40 degrees Celsius and attempting examination paper in such extreme heat was taxing on children's nerves as well as health.

Shaikh said power utilities should exempt the examination centers from load shedding. Electricity should be restored to the examination centers of the matriculation board immediately. There is a risk of damage to students' mental capacity and health due to load shedding of electricity in extreme heat.

Safe delivery

The district administration had imposed Section 144 on all the examination centers under which outside interference was prohibited at these centers and the photostat machines working in their vicinity remained closed during the examination.

An efficient system was created for the timely and safe delivery of examination papers to the respective centres.

BSEK was trying to avoid past embarrassment of papers reaching late at exam centres and papers getting 'leaked' and answers shared on social media.

Also read: New primary exam system introduced in Central district

Catching up on education

Arrangements were made for IX and X exams for the prisoners in the Karachi Central Jail as well. According to the jail authorities, the number of inmates taking the exams is 33. As many as 25 prisoners have appeared in the X and eight in the IX exams.

Separately, eight under-trial prisoners have also been released on bail to appear in the secondary school examination.

Admit cards were provided to the released prisoners. According to prison teachers, there is no age limit in prison for acquiring education.