BISE issue: Untrained officials to blame for faulty result: report

Inquiry brings negligence and unprofessionalism into light.

RAWALPINDI:

Another scam is likely to hit the education board of Pindi after multiple mistakes have been detected in the ninth class examination results to the negligence of board officials.

A recent inquiry into the flawed results of the intermediate Part-I exams hint at multiple mistakes and negligence by Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) officials.

The examination body, already under pressure after releasing the flawed Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC-I) results, is said
to have found multiple errors in the second SSC-I results.

The inquiry was conducted by two BISE board members and hinted that the results were handled by untrained members of board staff.

An inquiry team was set up in September last year by then BISE Chairman Dr Muhammad Qasim (before being replaced by Dr Muhammad Ashraf) and comprising of Asif Mehmood Siddiqi and Masoodul Hassan.

The team recorded statements of eight officials of the BISE Secrecy and Computer branches to identify responsibility for negligence during readying bar codes, delay in delivery of answer sheets and discrepancies in the ninth class results announced in August 2011.

The results showing 19 per cent of students had passed sparked protest, riots and uneasiness among students. BISE subsequently received 3,500 applications for review and the examination board reviewed and updated the results of approximately 1,000 candidates.

The inquiry team observed that the firm responsible for printing the answer sheets delayed its consignment which in turn caused a delay in the results since their record was not traceable. Additionally, the scanning was delivered in and unprofessional way betraying that untrained officials had compromised the deliverables.

The Computer Branch subsequently failed to convey the change in examination centres to the candidates and lack of coordination and communication between various BISE branches all contributed to the flawed results.

Earlier, former BISE Chairman Qasim along with former BISE Controller of Examinations Amjad Iqbal Bhara (who later contested his involvement in the issue), BISE computer in-charge Afzal Bhatti, programmer Muhammad Asif and data entry operator Sarfaraz Ahmed appeared before the Anti-Corruption Establishment for issuing faulty results.

The BISE administration has not yet implemented the inquiry’s findings nor held the responsible officials accountable.

BISE Chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf was unavailable for comment on the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2012.