KARACHI, July 12: The Board of Intermediate Education, announced the results of HSC Parts-I and II, Home Economics annual examinations- 2004 on Monday.

As many as 500 candidates, all from the Rana Liaquat Ali Khan Government College of Home Economics, appeared in the part-II examinations, out of which, 401 were declared pass.

The overall pass percentage remained 80.20, while none of the candidates could secure A-1 grade. According to the BIE statistics, there was a close competition among the top three position-holders. First position was clinched by Sidra Arshad, seat no 61351, who secured 882 out of 1,200 marks.

Second and third positions went with a difference of only one mark to Nida Askari, seat no 61217, and Hina Fatima Rajani, seat no 61147, respectively. Nida got 880, while Hina got 879 marks.

In all, eight students were given A grade, while 70 got B, 202 got C, 116 D and 5 students secured E grade. A total of 526 candidates took the Part-I examination. The breakdown of candidates passing papers of examination is as follows: Seven papers-303, six papers-118, five papers-48, four papers-22, three papers-16, two papers-6 and one paper-3.

BIE chairman Prof Iftikhar H Zaidi, who was also present at the ceremony, held for introducing position-holders to newsmen, pointed out that he personally felt that the board would have to increase further the remuneration of examination staff in order to bring in greater number of senior teachers, which, according to him, would ultimately help boost the moral of junior teachers, who sometimes find it difficult to resist the pressure put by the elements demanding undue favours from the examination staff, within and outside examination halls.

Giving the salient features of the results, the BIE Examination Controller Prof Asif Pasha Siddiqui, mentioned that despite repeated interruptions in the conduct of examination due to law and order situation and strikes, the board managed to declare the first result of the intermediate class examinations well in time, and it was likely that remaining results would also be released within the shortest possible time.

Talking about the problems faced in conducting the examinations in a fair way, he said that examinations had become a 'multi-party' affairs. Unless the students, their parents, teachers at colleges and examiners were not ready to change their attitudes and thinking, a foolproof examination process could not ensured, he added.

He suggested that the board authorities should consider to hold examinations at the students' own colleges, where the teachers of the same colleges would be posted as invigilators, adding that this would make it hard for the candidates to indulge in unfair means.

The three position-holders agreed to the controller's proposal, saying that such an arrangement would not only ensure the attendance of the students at their colleges, but the students would also be under the direct vigilance of their respective teachers while taking examinations and would not dare to use unfair means.

Sidra Arshad, the first position holder in the part-II examination, said that she understood that Home Economics education was some thing serious, combining knowledge of art, science, food and clothing.

Nida Askari, who secured the second position, and intended to do her masters in the applied arts, deplored cheating in examinations. Hina Fatima Rajani, the third position holder, said that Home Economics was not a tough discipline, but it needed dedication, both on the part of students and teachers.

She said that irregular traffic was the biggest problem in the city. The principal of the RLIK Government College of Home Economics said that efforts were on to make the college a degree-awarding institute.