Raees, a self-proclaimed don, charges Rs500 from students about to sit for their BSc final exams in Sukkur. He notes down their seat number and then delivers solved papers right to their desk. PHOTO: SALAHUDDIN SAMEJO/EXPRESS
This young man, who does not look taller than five feet, climbs walls and swings through windows to deliver solved examination papers right to your desk. Proud of his work, Raees claims he is the ‘don’ of Sukkur. “If the governments of 11 countries are looking for the real don, the administration of 11 colleges in Sukkur are trying to get me too,” he boasts.
For students sitting for their BSc final exams, this man is a blessing.
All they need to do is spot him outside their examination centre.
Even though, he changes his getup each morning, he is easy to spot with his black glasses and missing front tooth.
Raees charges Rs500 for every solved paper and he takes the cash in advance. Once the payment is clear, he will note down your seat number and let you proceed to the classroom. As soon as the paper begins, Raees climbs the back wall of the college, swings his way around the windows and makes sure that the solved paper reaches the right candidate.
Sukkur’s spiderman acts in broad daylight but the officials have yet to take notice. With his skills, he covers 11 government degree colleges that are designated testing centres for all examinations conducted under the Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, board.
“I fear no one,” claims Raees. “I have helped more than half the students in this college clear their exams,” he brags, pointing to a college behind him.
Even the students who are using his services feel no shame. Express News captures a boy grinning widely as he copies the answers from a solved paper delivered by Raees. Meanwhile, the invigilator deliberately looks in the other direction. The guidebooks and solved papers are strewn about the entire exam room, as the students cheat blatantly - without any fear of getting caught.
“I realised I knew nothing on the question paper,” admitted one student. “As soon as I opened the guidebook, I found all the answers.”
Another student said that if the authorities were strict, they would have to study hard. Since that is not the case, they prefer taking the easy way out. In these circumstances, Raees’ services are very popular.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2013.
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Rs 500/- are nothing after paying to invigilator and guards on duty, poor spider man may pocket 100 or so bucks. I think he is mental case otherwise this much he can earn in one day/week-spread it to 11 months when there are no examinations
An application of petroleum jelly on the ledges surrounding the testing centers should bring this practice, and likely this Spider-Man, to an end.
This is education system of Sind. Playing with thier own future.
well.. such students are NOT STRUGGLING STUDENTS!!!! They have already entered the corruption system by using these means!! why do we blame the government and officials when can't even control our own children's actions and teach them properly what's right and what's not!!
only question I have,where he gets the questions to solve them.I bet my top dollars LOL he has partner in crime.what a shame that no one is taking any action.here if some one get caught even in class, that student is expelled from school.Pakistan authorities have to make an example of just few,may be then it will stop.Pray to Allah almighty education become source for knowledge not for degrees that open the doors for employments.
Well now you know the roots of our ruling party & this explains a lot .... Another version of best revenge :)
Sign of a lost and failed nation. Situation is beyond repair.
Nothing new. Being a external teacher I always see people cheating in Karachi colleges. No government school, college and even Karachi University is spared from this menace. Can you imagine a PhD teacher at Karachi university was caught in plagiarism. he had stolen the thesis of another person. This is open secrete.
Shah Je. Orangi Town
And then we sadly claim that literacy level has plummeted since Pakistan's independance... Education is the only key to build tolerance in our society, make us a financially stronger and regionally peaceful. This is sheer shame!
As a student I witnessed excessive cheating in the Medical collage and went to the Vice Chancellor office to complain. The VC chased me out of the office.
Future politician.
Same thing is happening in all of Balochistan. People pass B.A and M.A like this and then complaint that we are not getting jobs and punjab is doing unfair and bla bla bla. I bet you these so called students cant even write the spellings of Bachelorate and proudly says i have done B.A and punjab government is doing unfair. I have came across such peoples who says that cheating is our right .. Pitty on them..
What a Shame. He brags about cheating. He is not a Spider-Man
What's new....I am have studied in this college (Islamia College, Sukkur) from 1985-1988, have seen this practice since then and been told it is happening since seventies... Only difference between then and now is that at that time our teachers were really good and we always had classes according to daily schedules, respected and feared our teachers and principal but now it is all gone... I feel for the students....
@observer: The guy is apparently Sindhi. Beard and sindhi "topi" come as standard. Don't mix it with piety or any religious significance.
Why is this crime being glorified by comparison to a super hero?
That's not a skullcap, that's a Sindhi topi, no religious significance.
One has to admire that the guy comes equipped with the regulation beard and skull cap. No let up on the 'public display of piety' front.
This person should be hanged because he is responsible for deteriorating our education system. I feel pity on officials of education who are deliberately ignorant and they themselves are involved in helping the students in cheating. I personally have visited the Islamia college sukkur where the picture was taken of culprit. This is the back side of college and on the other side there is office of Pakistan Air force and even the main entry of Educational staff. I wonder why our high profile people are silent on this core issue. If the lecturers are selected on merit through provincial commission then why they dont teach them properly. But the truth lies in the fact that they come to college for a cup of tea and go back without taking a single lecture. I remember once i went to college for Bachelor's class, the teacher told me to go back at home and advised me to begin self study and interestingly i passed my masters from the same college, when i was called for viva, i was asked a few questions about labor economics. They hired the young lectures for interview who were incompetent and inefficient for performing such great responsibility. These were the some reason i wanted to share with the ET so that they can publish in their newspapers from my side or may as letter to editor. Regards Asif Nawaz Abro
even if our education system is far behing with respest to the current era, yet it is teaching students many things... like we say, something is better than nothing... where at one end governmetn and administration of college is responsible for such things, at the same time students and thier parents are also responsible.. the students doing such things are harming thier own selves... where as government institutes are refferd, the students of private colleges, may not on BSc level, whose examination centres are government colleges again, also cheat as f they haven't studied the whole year...
@Munna Lahori: very true and very sad.What is this govt doing,Pir Mazharulhaq ,son of a distinguished father ruining not only his fathers name but future SINDH.This is nothing new,media is highlighting this issue every now and then.Shame on all those students.if media can find him ,interview him. then why not law enforcement agencies..for god sake don't promote them by interviewing and giving them space in media. I fully agree that if this trend continuous then Allah help people of SINDH.
Looking at the current status of our legislators, I am sure the National Assembly will vote to award him sitra-e-imtiaz.
pity that ET is showing one side of reality from our college, but let's ask the pak media that where were you guys when our teachers were absent and were not attending the single class, media duty is to show the whole story from top to the bottom not only the 'chatpati news' which increases their fans! Disgusting
Interior Sindh has many such dons! Think twice before trusting a degree from interior Sindh
How can he be contacted? Please advise :)
Honesty has to be instilled in students at formative years of life like high school and colleges. Otherwise it gets late and what it leads to is clearly evident in our country. People should condemn what is wrong so that ones who do it get a "bad conscience". For all these kids its shameless since no one looks down to it as a crime. I studied from a very prestigious university in Pakistan which was under the umbrella of Armed Forces. And dare someone cheats in an exam, he was simply relegated. There was no tolerance on cheating. And now when I see my peers around me, I see that they have that fear, conscience and ability to condemn whats wrong in them. Moreover strict punishments should be enforced for someone caught cheating.
It is nice to read about simple lives of simple people.
(Tit for tat) If the government persists on the 50 years old education system where students have to mug then students remains gullible.
Whats wrong will remain wrong but the difference in being graduated from a Government institute and private institute has a huge difference in terms of course outline, mugging, examinations and usage of technology keeping in mind the era you are living in.
Hahahaha funny indeed... but Man, it will ruin our education system
Doesn't make sense. If nobody cares, why don't the students just take the guidebooks with them to their exams?
"Meanwhile, the invigilator deliberately looks in the other direction."
That's because he'd pay him the share of Rs 500
While I strongly recommend that this practice should be ended, I admire the skill Raees posses
No wonder these students find it hard to find jobs on "merit" and only demand and get jobs on the basis of ethnicity/ PPP card.
This is madness... all those involved should be put behind bars. Including the students. So basically half the students have degrees based on zero merit, just like printing a fake degree.
what a junk is it. how could this possible? and just in Rs 500?