|
BSEK faces shortage of answer script checkers
Karachi, April 28, 2008: The Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, is facing
acute shortage of answer scripts checkers of Mathematics and English subjects
because of private schools' reluctance in getting their teachers registered with
the board, says BSE chairman retired brigadier Shafiullah
Qureshi.
The chairman said that the board was required
to announce the results of the ongoing Class IX (general group) annual
examinations by June 15 and that of Class X (science group) by July 15 under a
decision of the Sindh education department's steering committee. In this
situation, he said the board had no choice but to get the answer scripts of
these subjects assessed in two sittings – each of three hours – daily at its
centralised assessment centres, which normally functioned at two or three
places.
In reply to a query, he said an answer script checker could not
assess more than 20 answer scripts in one sitting, spreading over three hours,
under the board's rules. He said that the board would have to get the answer
scripts of Mathematics and English subjects assessed in two sittings
daily.
"In fact, the ongoing examinations will conclude on May 7 and
thereafter we will have only five weeks for compiling the results of Class IX
(general group) annual examination and nine weeks for preparing Class X (science
group) exam results," he said. Over 200,000 candidates of both groups were
appearing in the exams, he said, adding that the board would have to get about
1,000,000 answer scripts checked, re-checked and tabulated in such a short span
of time.
Brig Qureshi described the task of conducting exams of over
400,000 candidates of Class IX and X annual examinations of both science and
general groups simultaneously at 500 centres across the city, and thereafter the
assessments of answer scripts and tabulation a 'gigantic work'. In fact, he
said, the board had not fixed any cut off date for the submission of exam forms
in order to allow maximum number of candidates appear in the exams.
When
his attention was drawn towards the reported leak of examination papers half an
hour before the commencement of exams, he said it was an irony if a few senior
teachers or headmasters, who were assigned to provide examination papers on time
and bring back the answer scripts without any pilferage, got indulged in such
unethical and illegal activities. However, an inquiry had been ordered in this
regard, he said, adding that whosoever was found guilty would not be given such
responsibilities in future.
Asked how many private schools, which were
earlier registered with the BSEK, had switched over to the Aga Khan Education
Board, he said that there existed around 2,500 such schools. But, he added, the
BSE had faced no financial implications following their registration with the
Aga Khan board. Interestingly, he said, although a separate Aga Khan Board of
Education had been established, not only the Aga Khan School but even some of
the elite schools were still registered with the Board of Secondary
Education. Dawn
|
