PESHAWAR: No irregularity committed in entry tests - ETEA chief
PESHAWAR, Aug 23: Dr Abdul Waheed, executive director of the Education Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) has criticized what he termed a campaign of mudslinging against the conduct of entry tests for admissions to professional colleges
and said that his organization had taken all possible measures to ensure holding the examinations in a transparent manner.
"I fully claim that entry tests for admissions to public sector medical and engineering colleges were held in a transparent manner and no favouritism was applied during the process," ETEA Executive Director told a press conference at his office on Monday.
The press conference was called to clarify news reports appearing in a section of the press, alleging leakage of papers a day before the commencement of the examination.
Dr Abdul Waheed declared in categorical terms that he would prefer to step down if any irregularity in the conduct of entry tests and making of question papers was proved against him. However, he said, a mafia was out to sabotage the entry test process for their vested interests.
Out rightly denying charges of mal practices, Dr Waheed said this time some more steps had been taken to check possibility of any irregularity. The additional measures, he said, which had not been taken in the previous entry tests, include sitting students not in sequence in accordance with serial numbers to foil cheating attempts.
Similarly, he said, nominated doctors of the Khyber Medical College stamped back side of the answer sheets of candidates appearing for seeking admissions to engineering colleges and vice versa.
The stamp was destroyed in the presence of doctors and engineers to avoid its use in future, he added. At the entry point, the papers of candidates were checked and counter-checked by the staff concerned to avoid any favour to students.
About allegations of use of headphone and mobile phone by girl students wearing veils, the ETEA Executive Director said NWFP Education Secretary had informed him a day before the test to keep a special vigil on them.
Hardly 10 to 15 girl students out of 6000 who appeared in the test were wearing veils and special women examiners had been deputed to keep a close watch on them, he added.
Moreover, the women examiners gave an OK report and no such thing was found. All girl students went through a tough checking before the start of the test, he added. He said those who had failed to qualify the test were in fact making hue and cry and approached the press in order to level baseless allegations over the conduct of the exam.
He said the performance of the ETEA had been appreciated and praised by everyone during entry tests held for engineering colleges while it had been criticized, abused and threatened when it conducted exams for medical colleges.
"The entry test is based on MCQs (Multi Choice Questions), a system prevailing all over the world which is meant to select best out of the best. The Vice-Chancellors of all public sector universities have acknowledged the fact that the lot they are getting now in professional colleges is far better than the previous system when there was no entry test for seeking admissions to medical and engineering varsities.
Moreover, the entry test is the requirement of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and the Pakistan Engineering Council," he clarified. Vehemently denying accusation of leakage of papers, he said, the question did not arise and referred to the preparation process of papers in which three staffers of the ETEA had been involved including himself. He said, he had full confidence on his two colleagues in this regard.
"The floppy drive of the computer had been made disabled; the computer had no internet connection and no networking and the computer could not operate unless three passwords are fed," he explained.
Similarly, he said, extreme care was taken in the printing of papers and nobody was allowed to enter the room. Marking of answer-sheets and feeding of results in the computer was done in the presence of the Khyber Medical College and University of Engineering and Technology staff, he said.
About the future of the ETEA, he said, this system would continue to exist till the time he was there and would never bow to any pressure in this regard. He also referred to various instances of obnoxious e-mails and telephone calls in which he and his staff had been threatened with dire consequences.
"We are working in a difficult situation," he maintained. He said he had been offered various lucrative trips and other facilities by some well-off people but he turned down all such offers. -APP
