Eroding CIE sanctity

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The benchmark for academic excellence, the Cambridge International Education (CIE) system is now grappling with an erosion of trust in Pakistan. What was long considered a gold standard for objective, merit-based assessment is being questioned due to cracks in the conduct of its examinations.

Until recently, the British Council maintained exclusive authority over O and A Level exams in Pakistan, ensuring a centralised system with standardised controls. However, a shift over the past two years has allowed over 20 private schools, primarily in Karachi and Islamabad, to independently conduct these high-stakes assessments. With this decentralisation has come an alarming uptick in exam paper leaks and accountability failures.

The recent leak of an AS-level Physics paper has sent shockwaves through the academic community. Whisper networks of leaked material for other subjects now taint what should be a level-playing field. Moreover, the absence of transparent inquiry outcomes or concrete disciplinary actions only compounds the sense of helplessness. Decentralisation, without robust oversight, is a recipe for disorder.

When students sitting the same exam in different venues face radically different levels of security and fairness, the legitimacy of the entire examination process is called into question. The stakes are too high for complacency. Students spend years preparing for these exams, often at significant financial and emotional cost.

For their future to be jeopardised due to administrative lapses or weak accountability is unacceptable. Cambridge International must move swiftly to restore faith by re-evaluating its decentralisation model or enforcing strict audit protocols for participating schools. Anything less would be a disservice.

The credibility of Cambridge assessments has been a source of pride and a pathway to opportunity for thousands of Pakistani students. Let us not allow systemic carelessness to diminish a reputation built over decades.