KARACHI: 40 students suffer due to apathy of officials
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 18: About 40 students of class XI (Science) at a higher secondary school were deprived of their chance to appear in the annual examinations this year due to officials’ apathy.
Sources in the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, said that about 60 students enrolled in the Science and Humanities classes at the Govt Boys’ Higher Secondary School No-2, K-Area, Korangi, had to suffer as the principal failed to act on time.
It was learnt that the students whose enrolment formalities were completed with the Intermediate board had to bear the brunt of faults and dishonesty on the part of some lower staff at the school. The staff, despite having collected the examination fees and forms from the students, did not forward their cases to the higher authorities for onward dispatch to the board.
The sources said the students were kept in the dark for long about the fact that their forms were not sent to the board and as such there was all likelihood that they would have to loss one whole academic year for no fault on their part.
Some of the students also approached the board, but they were told to come through the school principal, claimed one of the affected students. Finally, the students were not given a go ahead signal and they lost the chance to appear in the examinations.
Though the students are of the view that if the board had taken up the case sympathetically they could have appeared in the examinations this year. “We were all ready for the examinations, but first our principal and then the board reacted inadequately on the issue.”
It was said that the school clerk did not show the income generated from the students on account of examination forms. The board was informed by the school head that the clerk had run away with the money and as such he was unable to bear the losses, said a BIE source.
The board asked the principal to come up with solid proof that what all he had reported to the board was true. He was also suggested to lodge an FIR against the corrupt school staff, added the source.
In the meantime, the higher school authorities, students and other concerned approached different authorities and finally the controlling authority directed the board to issue admit cards to the affected students, but by that time the damage had already been done and the board informed the school that since the Science group examinations had already commenced it would not be proper to allow the students to take up their exams.
However, after much hue and cry, the BIE came up with the notion that Science group students whose forms for part-I examinations were not submitted to the board within the stipulated period, would be allowed to take the papers next year, along with their part-II papers.
But the students are not happy with the decision and have urged the authorities to hold special examinations for them as they were not at fault. They took much time in observing the formalities, otherwise they could have appeared in a majority of papers, excluding one or two early papers, the students said.
In the case of Humanities group students, it was decided that since their examinations were to commence in June and the special date for submission of the examinations forms were open, their forms would be accepted with a late fee of Rs1,000.
In the later course of time it was agreed between the school principal and the board authorities that 50 per cent of the late fee would be waived by the board, while the principal would have to arrange for the remaining amount.
A senior official of the board dispelled the impression that students or the principal had reported to the board about the incident well in time and the board had got enough time to address the grievances and act accordingly.
Meanwhile, the students have urged the Education Department to initiate an inquiry into the incident.
