At least three exam papers of a subject are ordinarily set so that in case of emergency one of the papers could be used. Rowdy scenes were witnessed when protesting candidates entered the BSEK premises and smashed windowpanes, furniture and electrical appliances in its offices.
On the board officials’ call, a heavy contingent of police took positions in and around the board office and batoncharged the protesting candidates.
They also took into custody at least 18 candidates, some of them in school uniforms. The governor later ordered the immediate release of the detained candidates.
It was the height of mismanagement on the part of BSEK officials, who had come to know at about 12.30pm that the Class X Islamiat paper had been leaked, but they communicated the postponement decision to various examination centres between 1.15pm and 2.05pm, sources said.
Thousands of candidates appearing in the examination, already perturbed over the BSEK earlier decision of postponing their papers by two days because of its failure to issue admit cards on time and the act of accepting examination forms of candidates of 32 schools beyond the deadline, took to the streets near their examination centres and chanted slogans against the relevant officials.
Soon after candidates began pouring into the Government Comprehensive School at Korangi 3, they were informed that the paper had been postponed for the day and, therefore, they must vacate the classrooms immediately, residents of the area said. The incensed candidates gathered outside the examination centre and chanted slogans against the board officials. When their numbers swelled, they blocked the main Korangi Road, causing a traffic jam on both tracks of the artery.
“First police and then Rangers officials tried to persuade them to disperse, but the protesters did not listen,” said a resident while talking to Dawn. “Later police reinforcement arrived there and baton-charged the students, injuring one of them severely and making others flee in different directions.” As a large number of candidates had already taken their seats at most examination centres, and the announcement about postponement of the paper was not only shocking for them, it was so for their parents also. With most examination centres being far off from their residences, they had to suffer a lot in returning home as their parents, who had dropped them at the centres, had gone back by the time the announcement was made.
Girl candidates suffered more as they had to wait for a long time at their respective centres for their parents to come over and take them home.
Many students’ parents were perturbed also because their plans were upset by a second postponement of papers.
‘Exam mafia’ Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan directed the authorities to unmask what he described as the examination mafia and officials responsible for this mess and give them exemplary punishment.
“Our real target is the elimination of activities of the copy culture mafia,” he said and added that this mafia had to be wiped out through collective efforts.
“Corrupt elements and the copy culture mafia will be taken to task at all cost,” the governor declared.
Deploring the inefficiency of BSEK officials, office-bearers of two associations of private schools management demanded that the Sindh governor order an inquiry into the causes of leaking of Saturday’s exam paper and award punishment to all those found responsible for it.Speaking at a news conference, private schools’ management association’s chairman Sharfuzzaman urged the governor to remove all top officials of the board as none of them had any experience of conducting examinations.
He said it was because of their incompetence that thousands of examinees and their parents had to face immense hardship following the postponement of Saturday’s paper at the 11th hour.
The chairman of another association of private schools management (PEAK), Haider Ali, demanded that the governor take punitive action against the BSEK officials responsible for tarnishing the image of the board as well as for causing agony and hardship to candidates and their parents.
Meanwhile, the BSEK controller of examinations said the new date for Saturday’s postponed paper would be announced in due course of time.
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