PESHAWAR, July 24: The NWFP Assembly Act, empowering the provincial government to look after the affairs of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), has failed to improve the performance of the board, sources say.

Established in 1961 over 16 acres of land, the BISE is required to conduct examinations of the secondary school certificate (SSC) and intermediate for students of the NWFP and Fata.

The sources said the interference by the provincial government had badly affected the performance of the BISE as students found it difficult to get their documents corrected after the announcement of exam results.

The NWFP governor handed over the BISE affairs to the provincial education department following the passage of the act by the NWFP Assembly in 2006.

The sources said that before the act, only professional people were appointed to key posts, such as chairman, secretary and controller in the BISE. But now these posts were being filled by officers sent on deputation by the education department, they said, adding that the department recommended the names for appointments to the chief minister who approved these.

Similarly, other senior posts are being filled by junior officers from other departments. Under the rules, if the BISE had qualified staff to fill vacant posts, no outsider could be appointed on these posts.

BISE staffers complained that they found it difficult to work with the people on deputation. “They (officers on deputation) don’t understand the rules and regulations. We have to guide them every moment,” said a senior officer of the BISE. He said that he received documents from them almost every day on which his comments were sought.