HSC Exams: Thousands shrug off election’s hangover to take exam
Scant security arrangements were seen outside the 33 sensitive centres in the city.
Student seen using unfair means to solve his paper during a first year exam in Kandhkot. PHOTO: INP
SUKKUR/KARACHI:
Braving the dharnas, rallies, black days and a province-wide strike called by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, thousands of students across Sindh sat for their intermediate exams on Thursday amid the elections’ hangover that refuses to go away.
Karachi will see more than 160,000 science, commerce, home economics and medical technology students file into 165 examination centres in the first phase of the exams, to continue till June 6, held under the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK). Two papers, English and Urdu, were held in two shifts on the first day.
At a pre-exam meeting held at the commissioner officer, the BIEK had declared 21 centres as sensitive and 12 as highly sensitive owing to the precarious law and order situation in the city. The centres fell in areas that included Lyari, Landhi, Orangi Town and Sultanabad. During the meeting, Rangers and police officials had assured the board officials of deploying their troops to prevent any untoward situation. It was, however, observed that inadequate security measures were in place outside most of them.
Besides the security, other arrangements appeared to be relatively better than the preceding year when severe load-shedding made students miserable at around 40 per cent of the centres.
Imran Khan Chishti, the BIEK controller examinations, said that district-level vigilance teams and a super vigilance team was formed by the board to check all arrangements, including electricity supply, drinking water provision, measures against use of unfair means and presence of security officials.
Earlier, BIEK chairperson Anwar Ahmed Zai visited various examination centres along with a team of journalists. Despite official orders that all photocopy shops in and around examination centres be closed during exam hours, the journalists came across a functioning machine inside the premises of Sir Syed Government Girls College in Nazimabad.
Scant security arrangements were seen outside the 33 sensitive centres in the city
The next stop was Jinnah Government College for Boys, situated right next to the BIEK office. “They should at least arrange proper lights for us,” complained Imran Mohsin, one of the 700 candidates sitting in a dark hall of the college. The BIEK officials immediately sent for more lights to be arranged.
Reports of cheating and use of unfair means continued to pour in from different centres throughout the day.
The second phase of the exams will be held in June for which over 79,000 privately enrolled arts students will take the exam.
Students in Sukkur get ‘assistance’
The annual Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) Part I and II exams started on Thursday in Sukkur division amid widespread reports of cheating from many centres. The exams were held under the auspices of Sukkur Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushero Feroze districts.
The controller examination, Mehmoodul Hassan Khokhar, said that around 34,000 HSC-II students sat for the Islamic Education part II held on Thursday while 33,000 HSC-I students are registered with the board. He said that the Sukkur board has constituted 17 teams to pay surprise visits to examination centres to check cheating. Khokhar said that in total 101 examination centres have been set up in the four districts under his watch.
The district administration, meanwhile, imposed section 144 outside centres which disallows gathering of more than five people. The ban, however, was being openly defied as a sizable crowd was seen outside the examination halls providing logistical support to their respective candidates.
Besides imposing section 144, the administration also issued directives to close down all photostat shops in the vicinity of examination centres to put a stop to the copy culture. It was, however, observed that most shopkeepers were operating out of their homes and other shops to ‘facilitate’ their customers.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2013.
Braving the dharnas, rallies, black days and a province-wide strike called by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, thousands of students across Sindh sat for their intermediate exams on Thursday amid the elections’ hangover that refuses to go away.
Karachi will see more than 160,000 science, commerce, home economics and medical technology students file into 165 examination centres in the first phase of the exams, to continue till June 6, held under the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK). Two papers, English and Urdu, were held in two shifts on the first day.
At a pre-exam meeting held at the commissioner officer, the BIEK had declared 21 centres as sensitive and 12 as highly sensitive owing to the precarious law and order situation in the city. The centres fell in areas that included Lyari, Landhi, Orangi Town and Sultanabad. During the meeting, Rangers and police officials had assured the board officials of deploying their troops to prevent any untoward situation. It was, however, observed that inadequate security measures were in place outside most of them.
Besides the security, other arrangements appeared to be relatively better than the preceding year when severe load-shedding made students miserable at around 40 per cent of the centres.
Imran Khan Chishti, the BIEK controller examinations, said that district-level vigilance teams and a super vigilance team was formed by the board to check all arrangements, including electricity supply, drinking water provision, measures against use of unfair means and presence of security officials.
Earlier, BIEK chairperson Anwar Ahmed Zai visited various examination centres along with a team of journalists. Despite official orders that all photocopy shops in and around examination centres be closed during exam hours, the journalists came across a functioning machine inside the premises of Sir Syed Government Girls College in Nazimabad.
Scant security arrangements were seen outside the 33 sensitive centres in the city
The next stop was Jinnah Government College for Boys, situated right next to the BIEK office. “They should at least arrange proper lights for us,” complained Imran Mohsin, one of the 700 candidates sitting in a dark hall of the college. The BIEK officials immediately sent for more lights to be arranged.
Reports of cheating and use of unfair means continued to pour in from different centres throughout the day.
The second phase of the exams will be held in June for which over 79,000 privately enrolled arts students will take the exam.
Students in Sukkur get ‘assistance’
The annual Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) Part I and II exams started on Thursday in Sukkur division amid widespread reports of cheating from many centres. The exams were held under the auspices of Sukkur Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushero Feroze districts.
The controller examination, Mehmoodul Hassan Khokhar, said that around 34,000 HSC-II students sat for the Islamic Education part II held on Thursday while 33,000 HSC-I students are registered with the board. He said that the Sukkur board has constituted 17 teams to pay surprise visits to examination centres to check cheating. Khokhar said that in total 101 examination centres have been set up in the four districts under his watch.
The district administration, meanwhile, imposed section 144 outside centres which disallows gathering of more than five people. The ban, however, was being openly defied as a sizable crowd was seen outside the examination halls providing logistical support to their respective candidates.
Besides imposing section 144, the administration also issued directives to close down all photostat shops in the vicinity of examination centres to put a stop to the copy culture. It was, however, observed that most shopkeepers were operating out of their homes and other shops to ‘facilitate’ their customers.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2013.