MARDAN/LAKKI MARWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Iftikhar Mashwani on Saturday raided several examination centres in different parts of Takhtbai tehsil and found some of the examination staff responsible for irregularities.

Afterwards, he told mediapersons that he inspected examination halls in Saroshah, Takar, Takhtbai and Khadi Kallay areas following public complaints about open cheating by candidates appearing in SSC examinations being conducted under the BISE, Mardan.

He said that he had asked the Mardan board chairman and controller of examinations to take action against over a dozen of superintendents and invigilators for irregularities and allowing cheating by candidates in the exam centres.

He referred the names of superintendents Shamsul Farooq, Tajul Akbar, Farooq Khan, Mohammad Saeed, Ali Akbar, Rahim Shah, Anwar Shah, Azizullah, Fazlullah and Mohammad Alam for action against them.

He said that Chief Minister Pervaz Khattak had issued special instructions to the provincial assembly members concerned to supervise the examination halls in their constituencies to stop the practice of purchasing halls by some elements for carrying out unfair means during the examinations.

He said that the provincial government was committed to providing quality education to children and it would take stern action against those playing with the future of young generation.

In Lakki Marwat, a surprise visit to the examination centre at government higher secondary school, Serai Naurang, by additional assistant commissioner Yaser Qayyum annoyed the supervisory staff who came out of the hall and threatened to boycott duty.

The visit on Saturday followed complaints about copying and use of unfair means by candidates freely.

The additional assistant commissioner accompanied by local journalists was astonished to see that many candidates were freely copying in the presence of supervisory staff.

When the official asked the superintendent and invigilators to show their service identity cards it annoyed the centre’s superintendent who directed his subordinates to leave the examination centre.

Later, the school principal Sifatullah Khan intervened and settled the issue between the examination staff and administration official.

Meanwhile, assistant commissioner Qayyum Nawaz and Lakki additional assistant commissioner Pir Mohammad also inspected several examination centres in Dallokhel, Shahbazkhel, Ghaznikhel and other localities.

In many centres, furniture was not available and the candidates were made to sit on the floor.

They asked the supervisory staff to do their duty to eradicate the menace of cheating in exams.