PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday cancelled the recent entry test for public and private medical and dental colleges in the province after the Intelligence Bureau confirmed paper leak.

While the matter will be probed by the ‘joint investigation team’ on the advice of the IB, a civilian intelligence agency, the higher education department is likely to hold the test afresh in the middle of next month, officials told Dawn.

The entry test was held last Sunday at seven examination centres established in Peshawar’s Islamia Collegiate School, Haripur’s Haripur University, Saidu Sharif’s Grassy Ground, DI Khan’s Gomal Medical College, Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University, Kohat’s Cadet College and Chakdara’s Malakand University. The Education Testing and Evaluation Agency conducted it with thousands of candidates sitting it.

JIT to probe matter, candidates to sit test afresh next month

Newly-elected Chief Minister Mahmood Khan ordered the withholding of test results the next day after a video about paper leak went viral on social media.

The video showed a man not seen claim that he got the leaked paper hours before the test was held.

Acting on the advice of the higher education department, the chief minister also ordered the IB to ascertain the originality of the video to confirm paper leak or otherwise.

The officials said since the matter was a cyber crime, the higher education department didn’t have the expertise to look into the matter and therefore, the IB was engaged for the purpose.

The IB put up the inquiry report to the department on Friday confirming the paper leak. It also recommended the formation of the joint investigation team to trace the culpable people.

The officials said the team would comprise experts from IB, Federal Investigation Agency, police and the special branch.

When contacted, Etea managing director Israr Ahmad said the agency’s coordination committee for entry test would meet today (Saturday) to thoroughly examine the paper leak issue and would decide about the schedule for next test besides other relevant matters.

The committee comprises higher education secretary Manzoor Ahmed, Etea chief Israr Ahmad, Khyber Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Arshad Javed and University of Engineering and Technology Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussain.

Initially, the test was scheduled on July 15 but it was postponed due to heavy rains in some areas of the province on the day as the Etea struggled to conduct it.

The test was rescheduled to August 19 but it was cancelled due to paper leak.

In 2005, too, an Etea paper was leaked ahead of the test for public and private medical colleges in the province. Around 1,700 candidates had got 700 and above marks out of 800 marks but the test was cancelled.

The candidates totaled 38,062, including 23,460 men and 14,602 women.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2018