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Private school teacher tests mismanaged
KARACHI, July 23: Mismanagement of the
private school teachers (PST) selection test has been reported throughout the
province. Errors with admit cards, wrong data entry and missing admit cards were
reported from all over the city as well. The responsible CDGK authority promised
to solve the problem quickly.
The PST written test was scheduled for July
4 at the Steel Town Cadet College but was postponed due to unexpected rain. The
new date was set for July 26 for male candidates at the same campus, and July 29
for female candidates at NED University. Ten thousand and four hundred male
candidates and 6,400 female candidates registered.
The Sukkur-based
institution was given a contract to publish and set up the PST examination but
made frequent mistakes. Its work was supervised by the department of education
through the CDGK and the district education office of other cities of Sindh.
According to an estimate, 350 objections were registered in Karachi
alone, while the figure is higher in other provincial cities. "Roll number
140,437 is Muhammad Shakil, who lives in UC-3, Karachi. On record, his
educational qualification is only primary school, but he received an admit card
for the PST test even though it requires an intermediate pass qualification at
the minimum," a source from the department of education informed.
Cases of mistakes in name entry, residence and even pictures were
frequently reported. "There are a number of cases reported with a male picture
and a female name on the admit cards and vise versa," the source added.
Objections were also raised in receiving admit cards, which were to be
posted to residential addresses by the local department of education. "The CDGK
has registered cases of about 2,000 missing admit cards out of a total of 16,400
applicants in the city. In cities other than Karachi, 20,000 cases were
registered out of 123,000 applicants," the source said.
NED University
did not allow the 6,400 registered female candidates to use the campus as it had
promised. "Routine classes are also held on Sunday and it would have been
difficult to accommodate such a large number of candidates," said an NED
University official.
If the university refuses to provide a place for
the PST (Female) examination, it will get postponed again. According to an
official from the department of education, NED University has not responded so
far. EDO Education (School) Fakhar Karim Siddiqui held the department of
education responsible and promised to take serious steps. "Our office has
already sent all registered cases of faulty admit cards to Sukkur for
verification. They will be received in a few days," he said. Secretary of
Education Sabhago Khan Jatoi was not available for comment and his phone was out
of reach despite repeated attempts to contact him.
Furthermore, the
students, particularly the 6,400 female candidates, reported that they are being
harassed at the education office, which they had to go to almost every day to
check up on errors.
Farzana Akhter, a resident of Lyari Town, said that
she had gone there three times in one week in vain. "Every time I come they tell
me to come the next day. As a girl without my own conveyance, it's a serious
case of harassment for me. I demand this problem be solved as soon as possible,"
she said. Daily times
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