LAHORE: Following complaints of question paper leaks before examinations through whatsapp, the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) has decided to introduce a new monitoring regime.

The new system having two additional checks will be introduced in the upcoming matric and intermediate exams, it is learnt.

Officials say the decision was taken after the examination staff sent question papers to students/candidates before the start of the exam last year.

Officials believe the new checks will eliminate the possibility of paper leak.

“Under the check-1, a double lock and keys system have been introduced. It means there will be two keys of the bank locker where the question papers have been kept -- one with the bank manager or his authorized representative and other with the distributing inspector (DI) appointed by the BISE,” says a senior BISE official.

He said the lock wouldn’t open till the two officials carrying keys operated it jointly to get the question papers at 8:10am -- 20 minutes before of the commencing of the examination -- at the designated bank that would be situated close to the examination centre. And if the bank is situated a bit far, the timing will be 8:00 or 8:05am for opening the lockers.

He said since the exam starting time would be 8:30am, the resident inspector, who would be sitting at the examination centre, would inform the BISE’s designated senior official through SMS regarding the arrival of the papers under Check-2.

“If the RI sees delay in the arrival of the distributing inspector (DI) with question papers at the centre, he will send `Not Ok’ SMS. And if everything is fine, he will send us`OK’ SMS,” the official said.

“And if we receive the “Not Ok” SMS, we will rush to that centre to inquire the matter,” the official said.

Answering a question, he said the DI and RI would be selected by the BISE from among senior teachers, lecturers and professors.

Besides this, the official said, a monitoring team of the Lahore BISE would visit various banks and centres to observe whether the procedure was being followed in true letter and spirit. And in case of violation, the staff concerned would be taken to task, he said.

To a question, the official said the BISE had also added a column in the software under which a condition has been imposed on the educational institutions’ heads to also provide adequate examination staff to the BISE on the basis of number of candidates appearing in the exams. “And if the heads don’t provide it, the software will not accept their candidates’ enrollment in the exams,” the official said.

He said if the new monitoring regime appeared to be successful, it would be implemented in other BISEs of the province as well.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2017