ISLAMABAD: Mismanagement by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) not only led to the cancellation of the computer science paper of class VIII scholarship examination but also caused trouble to hundreds of students on Thursday.

The scholarship exams are being held in nine centres in the federal capital in which around 900 students from 200 private and government schools are taking part. Each school selects the best students to appear in the exam. Moreover, students have to attend the exams in centres other than their schools to ensure transparency.

On Thursday, after handing over the question papers to the students, it was realised that the questions were out of course and had been taken from an old book. The management then cancelled the paper and asked the students to go home.

But most of the students were left in the lurch as neither the school managements where the centres had been set up informed their parents to pick them nor allowed the students to use the school phones to contact their parents. And students who had no mobile phones had to return home on foot.

A schoolteacher requesting not to be identified said: “After the students were given the question papers, they said the questions were out of course.” After consultation with the FDE it was confirmed that the question paper was out of course so it was decided to cancel the exam.”

Shabbir Ahmed, the father of a student, complained: “I dropped my son at the exam centre at G-7/3 in the morning and went to my office. I had to pick him at noon, but at about 11am my wife called me and said the child had reached home as the exam was cancelled,” he said.

“My son returned home at F-6/1 on foot because he did not have money and mobile phone to call home after the cancellation of the exam. The distance from my house to the examination centre is around six kilometres but my son had no other option but to travel home on foot. Any incident or mishap could have happened with him on the way.”

He said the management of the FDE and CADD should take strict action against the officials responsible for the blunder.

Another citizen requesting anonymity said his son also had to travel on foot from F-7 to his home at sector F-6.

“Schools should have ensured that the students are handed over to the guardians,” he said.

A teacher of computer science said last year the computer science book for class VIII was changed. “There is a lot of difference between the old and the new books. The old book was easier as it was mostly about input devices and languages which have become irrelevant now,” he said.

The students who have studied the new book cannot solve any question from the old book. In the new book, most of the topics are about networking and other issues, he said.

A member of the advisory committee which changed the book told Dawn that three months back an officer of the FDE had approached him to ask from which book the question paper should be prepared.

“I told him that it should be from the new book because it is being taught in the schools at present. But I have heard that the question paper was from the old book,” he said.

When contacted, Director General FDE Mehmood Akhtar Malik said it was just a matter of misunderstanding.

“In fact, two different question papers were prepared for the students of government and private educational institutions and the question paper meant for the private schools was handed over to the students of government schools,” he said.

The question paper was much easier as compared to the book being taught in schools. Some students attempted it without complaining but some refused to solve it. These students will be allowed to solve another question paper from the new book,” he said.