The News said on Wednesday that the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) released the results of the first-year (Part-I) exam, in which a significant portion of pupils failed, raising concerns about their diminishing performance.
The data shows that 80% of the candidates were unsuccessful in the regular arts group, 72% in the private arts group, and 63% in the private commerce group.
Only 36.5% of candidates were successful in the pre-medical, 34.79% in the pre-engineering, and 38.69% in the computer science sections, according to earlier findings that were made public last week.
This trend is concerning, especially since the majority of students who received lower marks on their matriculation exams may now find it difficult to get into professional institutions and colleges because admissions are usually determined by Inter Part-I scores.
The chairman, controller, and secretary of the BIEK are among the important authorities who are not there, which exacerbates the problem. There is instability in the temporary leadership structure; the chairman is the Karachi commissioner, who is not present on the board.
Since taking control, the commissioner has overseen activities virtually and has seldom attended the board. In addition, in the absence of a designated controller, the commissioner appoints the deputy controller, who takes on the responsibilities of the controlling authority.
The controller and secretary are people who used to work as board clerks, which raises questions about their suitability for these important jobs.
It is noteworthy that the search committee, led by Prof. Dr. Tariq Rafi, the chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC), suggested that Dr. Muhammad Memon and Muhammad Hussain Syed be appointed to the positions of chairman, secretaries, examination supervisors, and audit officers in the provincial education boards. This recommendation was made by Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar.
Anwar Haider and Mukhtiar Soomro, two bureaucrats, were appointed in place of this summary, which was rejected. Neither of these had any relevant experience on an education board, in contrast to the candidates the SHEC recommended. Memon has been the head of the Hyderabad board, and Syed has held positions as secretary of boards and universities.
Information reveals that Health Secretary Mansoor Abbas, who is reportedly close to the interim chief minister, is in charge of hiring officers for school boards. This departure from the recommendations of the university, search committee, and secretary of boards calls into doubt the fairness and merit-based selection of individuals holding important positions on education boards.
