Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the mismanagement in Class-V examination and ordered an immediate investigation. Punjab Examination Commission remained unable to deliver Class-V English question paper to examination centers in various districts of Punjab. English paper was postponed until next day after students waited for the paper for around two hours.
Earlier, PEC delivered the General Science paper instead of Mathematics question paper, changing altogether the date- sheet. Such a mistake in the 21st century is perhaps intolerable and demands serious action against those responsible. Although the chief minister has taken notice of the sheer negligence on part of the PEC, however to date no inquiry report has been made public. Our examination system is not fit and up-to-date as per the requirements of the modern era. In fact traditional examination system is in practice for the last many decades.
This needs to be revamped and overhauled.
Cheating and use of unfair means is another menace in our society. In the case of objective type exams, this has become even more crucial. Every year hundreds of candidates are caught red-handed while using unfair means in exams. Many candidates leave identification marks and even cell phone numbers with the intention of bribing paper checkers – a practice considered worst form of post-exam use of unfair means. This is happening in Punjab, KPK, Sindh and Balochistan – all parts of the country. Recently, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch emphasised on the need of getting rid of cheating in exams, while terming that all stakeholders would have to play their due role in this regard. Addressing a seminar in this connection during the provincial government’s anti-cheating drive, Malik said evils had reached its maximum and now reforms must begin. He said the incumbent coalition government of the province was taking concrete and serious steps to improve the prevailing education system, getting rid of cheating and frustrate the culture of recommendation.
Last year, Sindh police arrested several people after the matriculation board officials caught 119 children in raids in six districts of Larkana, who were cheating in their exams. In Landhi alone, 50 candidates were caught red ended using unfair means to attempt their examinations. Moreover, a person impersonating his brother was also arrested from the scene.
Now in this modern era cheaters are adept with technology and use bluetooth, hands-free and other electronic gadgets linked to cell phones. The monitoring team must be provided with proper training to keep a check on use of technology as unfair means. Cheating in exams is the beginning of all evil practices in the life of children and our youth, hence, this malpractice needs to be stopped at the right time in order to give them a lesson in the very beginning of their lives. Otherwise our children and youth would learn a wrong lesson of getting promotion to higher classes with good grades without hard work. This is a complete disaster which should be controlled and checked at all levels without any class distinction. On the other hand,teachers and examination staff assisting or patronising cheating and bribe culture in exams must be fixed once and for all by giving them exemplary punishment.
