A meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly's Standing Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education, chaired by MPA Taj Mohammad, convened to address serious concerns surrounding recent controversies in the education sector, including the Mardan Board examination paper leak scandal.
The session was attended by prominent members of the provincial assembly, including Iftikhar Mashwani, Ahmad Kundi, Asma Alam, Shehla Bano, Sobia Shahid, Zubair Khan, Muhammad Aftab Haider, Hamidur Rehman, and Abdul Salam Khan.
The committee was given a comprehensive briefing on the Mardan Board scandal, where members expressed grave reservations over the conduct of the Board's Controller. They alleged that the official had misled the committee in previous proceedings by providing false statements, prompting the committee to order a thorough inquiry into the matter.
Lawmakers further accused an organized group of monopolizing examination-related duties by assigning responsibilities and exam hall allocations to hand-picked individuals, allegedly to facilitate cheating for preferred candidates. The committee demanded an end to such favoritism and called for strict merit-based reforms.
In addition, concerns were raised over the persistent non-compliance with transfer orders within the Education Department, both between schools and administrative offices. The department was directed to investigate the issue and present a detailed report in the next session.
The committee was also informed that in some districts, the passing criteria for female candidates in the ETEA test had been lowered from 50% to 33% in an effort to fill vacant posts, following widespread underperformance. This controversial adjustment sparked further debate over the integrity of recruitment practices.
The committee concluded by emphasizing the need for transparent investigations into all issues raised, urging that merit be upheld and all recommendations be implemented without delay to restore public trust in the province's education system.
Meanwhile, the fourth meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Task Force of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was held in the Assembly's conference room under the chairmanship of Deputy Convener MPA Arif Ahmadzai.
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