Karachi : A large number of students faced different problems due to lack of facilitiesincluding shortage of furniture, load shedding of electricity and late arrival of question papers at various examination centers on the first day of annual examination 2011 of secondary school certificate (SSC) Part-I and II,(Science and General Group) on Monday.
The SSC exams started in 225 examination centers established in different private and government schools of the city by the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK).
On the first day, a number of female candidates at Waseem Government Girls Secondary School, North Nazimabad Town sat on floor during their exams as the school had not sufficient furniture available, PPI learnt during the visit.
While, Royal Public School, situated at Shahrah-e-Liaquat, Jamshed Town arranged tent on the rooftop of the school building to accommodate the candidates. There was also no electricity, clean drinking water and proper furniture for the students.
Further, the PPI learnt about poor quality of furniture and late arrival of question papers for about 30 to 45 minutes at examination centers including Shah Faisal Government Higher Secondary School, PIA Model School, Shah Faisal Town, Ibrahim Ali Bhai Government Boys Secondary School, Shah Faisal Town, APWA Government Girls Secondary School J-area Korangi and Husaini Government Boys Secondary School Nazimabad, while the candidates also remained disturb due to the absence of power supply at most of the examination centers during the paper. The late arrival of question papers created tension among the parents waiting outside the examination centers and the candidates of class X (Science and GeneralGroup) who appeared in the paper of Islamite in morning and afternoon shift.
The BSEK has established ‘Examination Complaint Cell’ (ECC) to monitor the examination process and wanted parents and schools’ management to share experience, but the parents suffered as there was no one available to listen and register their complaints in both shifts. Meanwhile, acting Chairman of BSEK Prof. Anwar Ahmed Zai visited examination centers of North Nazimabad and North Karachi Town including Government Comprehensive Girls School and Ali Ali SecondarySchool. During the visit Chairman BSEK monitored facilities to the candidates and directed relevant member of Oversee Team (OT) to take steps for providing facilities to the candidates and also take action to stop using unfair means in exams.
Prof. Zai told PPI during the visit that the board was taking steps for eliminating copy culture and its mafia. He said that due to load shedding during the paper by the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), the candidates were suffering different problems however the board would conduct the meeting with higher authority of KESC in this regard.
He said that the BSEK would take action against cases of unfair means as per departmental law, after receiving complaints by the members of OT. Chairman directed all members of OT that they should visit the examination centers and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard.
Prof. Zai also told PPI that the BSEK has 12 printing machines but were not enough for the printing more than 327000 question papers, so it is a main cause for late arrival of paper in examination centers.
He said that the BSEK had provided required furniture to all established examination centers a week before starting the examination. He said that the management of BSEK was taking steps for providing complete facilities to the candidates in examination centers.
