Still not fixed: RBISE registration system woes continue

Examinees from rural areas claim they were not facilitated, paid extra fines.

RAWALPINDI:

Barely a year after faulty registration and checking software left the Rawalpindi Board of Secondary Education (RBISE) egg-faced, the examining body’s online exam registration system continues to haunt students.

Some 15 girls came from different villages in Sohawa, Jhelum to Government Post Graduate College for Women in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi on Monday to sit the compulsory English paper for their higher secondary school certificate (HSSC-II) supplementary exams.

This was only after they had paid extra for not submitting their registration form in time.

“We had to rush from our village to give the exam in Rawalpindi and we got the roll number slips just two hours before the start of our exam, that too was only after paying the fee twice,” said Sabah.

She and her mother left home at 6:30am and reached Rawalpindi after a two-hour trip. We then submitted hard copies of our forms at the RBISE office and deposited Rs6,600 as late fee before getting the roll number slip, Sabah said outside the examination centre.

Muhammad Faisal, who accompanied his younger sister to Rawalpindi, said they paid Rs1,700 as the normal fee and submitted the online application form at Government Girls High School Sohawa, a facilitation centre set up by the RBISE, well before the November 1 deadline.

“Five days ago, after the roll number slip had still not arrived, I contacted the RBISE office and was informed that the application form had not been received by the exam board,” Faisal said.

He blamed the online registration system and RBISE officials for levying hefty late charges and allocating an examination center in another district.

RBISE Chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf said that in such cases, either the online forms or the hard copies were not received in time. This might have led to extra charges and the allocation of an examination centre in Rawalpindi, he said.

However, Ashraf did say disciplinary action would be taken against the facilitation centre if they were responsible for not uploading the online forms or sending in the hardcopies of the forms with the required documents.

The chairman felt it would take some time for students and parents to get familiarised with the online registration system to avoid complications.

Regarding allocation of examination centres in Rawalpindi, Dr Ashraf said there were not enough candidates from the area to merit arrangement of a local centre and the required examination staff.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2012.