KU exam Dept moral crisis | Inter exam's cheating galore
Karachi University Exam Dept in the throes of moral crisis
Karachi, May 08: The University of Karachi (KU) continues to slide down the
educational and moral ladder with the wrangling for transfer to the examination
department to get lucrative monetary benefits by failing or passing a candidate
or issuing fake documents to the highest bidder. The latest tug-of-war
was seen on Thursday when a show-cause notice by Examination Affairs Advisor Dr
Nasiruddin Khan, to an Assistant Controller of Examinations (External Unit)
pitched even the high officials of KU against Dr Khan. According to the
details some students had a row with Taj, a grade-16 employee of the External
unit after he misbehaved with the students. The students approached the
Registrar, Prof Rais Alvi, and requested him to remove Taj from the sensitive
post as he was creating problems for the external students who went there to get
their documents. Prof Alvi refused to do so. Instead of taking any
action against the employee, the incharge of the External Unit, Muhammad Arif,
an activist of the main ethnically based party in town, closed the section for
three days. It caused immense hardship to the visitors who came from afar. Dr
Nasiruddin Khan took notice of the closure and issued a show-cause notice to
Arif who, assembled the employees at the Administration building and tried to
lock the admin building. At this juncture Prof Alvi and the Dean, Faculty of
Arts, Dr Shamsuddin, played politics by patting the employees on the back and
encouraging them to voice their grievances while issuing a letter from Registrar
office directing the "unconcerned students and persons" not to enter the
Enrolment/Registration section. The main reason for the high-level
politics is the appointment of Dr Khan to the Examination department as the
Advisor/Controller of Examinations that was also sought by Dr Anwar Zaidi and Dr
Nusrat Idrees. The Vice-Chancellor Prof Pirzada Qasim was wary of the two and
decided to appoint Dr Khan to the post. Dr Khan tried to rein in the employees
of the Examination department who are addicted to making moneyña lot of it.
Unfortunately, others, who are not directly connected to the department but
their interests are, were taken aback by the unexpected defiance from Dr Khan.
Prof Alvi agreed that the Enrolment was closed for
three days but could not give a valid reason for his not taking any action
against the employees who were acting against the interests of the University
and thousands of external students who throng the university daily to get their
examination documents. A senior Professor of the university, on the condition of
anonymity said, "Some teachers, the Dean Arts, and the Registrar have
formed a nexus that works for their interests. They are always lobbying for this
or that. The centre of intrigue is the Registrar's office. They do not give a
damn if the university suffers".
KU reschedules one-time special chance exam 2009
Karachi: The University of Karachi (KU) Semester Examination Section has discontinued the
ongoing One-Time Special Chance Examination 2009, starting from May 4 and has
rescheduled exams from June 30, stated a KU press release on Thursday. It also
stated that all those students whose enrolment/re-enrolment has expired and they
have not yet completed their degree programme due to failure in many courses can
submit their exam forms and fee duly attested by the concerned Chairperson/
Director/ Incharge from June 8-13 with Rs1,000 per course. The fee form and fee
can also be entertained from June 15-20 with a late fee of Rs500. Only outgoing
and ex-students are eligible to appear in the One-Time Special Chance
Examination.
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Media team witnesses cheating galore at exam centre
Karachi: The use of special 'cheating rooms' and large-scale unchecked
malpractices in exam centres as well as mismanagement during the Class XII
Physics Exam were exposed on Thursday by a media team. Several candidates along
with their examination booklets were also found missing from their class rooms
at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Allah Bux Himaiti Village, Pipri,
Bin Qasim. Following the complaints of students, teachers, and parents
mostly from Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Steel Township areas, a media team raided the
above-noted school and found everything exactly as stated by the complainants.
During the raid dozens of candidates were caught red-handed while in special
rooms with absolutely no sequence of roll numbers and copy numbers. As the media
team entered the examination centre panic spread across the building and
teachers who were offering cheating started running here and there. Students too
threw away guides, solved papers and other stuff that they were using at that
moment. The team searched the cupboards in every room and recovered
solved papers of physics and other cheating material. When the attendance sheets
in different rooms were matched with copy numbers of examination booklets and
roll numbers of candidates it was found that dozens of students were missing
from their seats while there was total disorder as far as sequence of copy
number and roll number was concerned. When the team visited other rooms they
found that dozens of candidates were sitting in these special rooms without any
sequence of roll numbers or copy numbers. The team also found that
several candidates, along with their examination booklets, were not present in
the examination centre. When the team inquired from the Centre Superintendent
about the chaotic situation and missing candidates, he made excuses that some
candidates had completed their paper and left but he failed to produce the
examination booklets of missing candidates. As per examination rules the
attendance of candidates is marked within half an hour of the paper but there
was neither the Present nor the Absent mark before the names of several
candidates till 12:15pm while the invigilators could not explain why they didn't
marked the attendance of these candidates. Earlier this week, sources,
requesting anonymity, complained about all the aforesaid irregularities and
requested for exposing the cheating mafia active in that area. The complainants
already informed that hundreds of students availed the opportunity and paid
between Rs2500 to Rs7000 for special facilities during exams. Those who paid
lower amount were supplied with solved papers and other cheating material inside
their classes. Other candidates who paid higher amounts were made to sit in
special rooms and supplied with all kinds of cheating material and they were
even allowed to use their mobile phones during the paper. What severely hurt the
very spirit of examination was the fact that several candidates were even
allowed to take their examination copies outside the examination centre as they
were the highest bidders. Educationists from the area, on the condition
of anonymity, said that a lobby of politicians, police officers and other
influential people of Gulshan-e-Hadeed were involved in selection of this
examination centre so that their children could score well. They also said that
Shafi Shar, a government school teacher and head of cheating mafia paid huge
some to BIEK officials for making this school the examination centre. The
very school building was exposed for cheating by a media report during SSC
exams. Despite the fact that Pakistan Steel Cadet College (PSCC), well-known for
its strict vigilance, was present in the same area and was easily accessible to
all candidates, this school that is located in a remote village was made the
examination centre. Moreover, PSCC being situated in Steel Town, a prohibited
area has no problems such as law and order situation or power breakdown since
Steel Mill produces its own electricity and no Mafias are allowed near
PSCC. BIEK Chairman Anwar Ahmed Zai assured that this examination centre
would be changed from Saturday and strict action would be taken against
whosoever is involved in the scam. He stressed that there would be no compromise
in such cases since he already warned that no special rooms and external
interference would be tolerated during the exams. Responding to a
question about the alleged involvement of BIEK's official in selling out the
examination centre for the purpose of cheating, Zai said, "I will inquire into
this and if media points out those involved, strict action will be taken against
them".
12 unfair means cases reported in exams
Karachi: As many as 12 cases of use of unfair means were reported in the seventh paper of
the HSSC annual examination on Thursday, a press release said. According to the
press release from Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi these cases were
reported in the Physics exam of Class XII Science held in morning as well as
Islamiat Exam of Class XII Commerce on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Chairman BIEK,
Anwar Ahmed Zai, along with the Director-General, Colleges visited different
examination centres on Thursday. Zai, at a meeting of vigilance officers, said
that any examination centre found to be violating examination code of conduct
would be blacklisted. The BIEK also provided transport to the candidates whose
examination centre was shifted from Government Degree College, North Karachi, to
Bahria Foundation College, Nazimabad. The News
'Edu secy manhandled by mob'
Karachi: The Sindh Education Department has claimed that the some
ousted teachers tried to manhandle Education Secretary Rizwan Memon in Hyderabad
on Thursday, while he was returning after appearing at the Sindh High Court
Hyderabad bench. According to an official handout, the spokesman of the
department said that a mob, claiming to be teachers, tried to manhandle Memon.
These individuals were illegal meritless appointees in different teaching cadres
and were ousted from service by the EDO Education, Hyderabad after all legal
formalities. They are not government servants, the spokesman
added. According to another handout, Senior Minister for Education Pir
Mazharul Haq termed the attack on Memon as an attack on merit. He said that the
teachers ousted from the department had obtained jobs by bribing the former EDO
Education, Hyderabad. "The government was considering registering cases
against them for getting jobs through bribes, because both, the giver and taker
of a bribe, are guilty under the law," the minister said. He also appealed to
the civil society to not support these elements for the sake of quality
education in the province. Daily Times
Another exam centre changed
Karachi: The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) on Thursday
shifted another examination centre after receiving complaints regarding use of
unfair means by candidates of the Intermediate examination. BIEK
chairman Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai said that that the Govt Boys Higher Secondary
School, Pipri, would cease to function as an examination centre from Saturday
(May 9). The alternative centre would be the Madar-i-Millat College, Steel Town,
designated as BIEK examination center from Saturday onwards. He said the
decision had been taken in the light the reports received from the Board's
vigilance team concerned and the confidential coordinating officer (CCO)
concerning use of unfair means by candidates at the cancelled centre. Although
the announcement concerning the change of the centre has been displayed on the
notice board of the Govt Boys Higher Secondary School, Pipri, arrangements have
been made to transport the affected candidates from the centre to the
newly-designated one so that the candidates who might be unaware of the change
did not face any problem, according to Prof Zai. Meanwhile, a large
number of candidates reached the Govt Degree Boys College, Sector 7-D/2, North
Karachi, on Thursday totally unaware of the fact that their centre has been
shifted to the Bahria Foundation College, Nazimabad, the previous day. The
decision was taken on Wednesday in the wake of harassment of a centre
superintendent of the North Karachi college by some candidates. A BIEK vehicle
was, however, stationed there to promptly transport them to Bahria Foundation
college. The arrangements were highly appreciated by candidates and their
parents. The BIEK chairman along with provincial director (colleges)
Prof Rafiq Ahmed Siddiqui on Thursday paid surprise visits to a number of
colleges including the Bahria Foundation College, Govt Adamjee Science College,
Govt National College, Dukhtar-i-Mashrique Govt Degree College, Govt Degree
College Nishtar Road and Govt APWA Higher Secondary School Liaquatabad.
Later, presiding over a meeting of the vigilance committees, Prof Zai,
asked members of the committees not to yield to any pressure in the discharge of
their duties and check use of unfair means without any fear. All such cases
should be reported to the board immediately, he said, adding that the centre
where such cases were reported in a large number would be blacklisted. Dawn
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