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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