ONE of the defining features of a sound education system is the integrity of its examination system. Unfortunately, Pakistan fails the test: there are far too many reported instances of both students and teachers/invigilators resorting to unfair means during tests and exams. The issue often comes under the spotlight during the Matric and Intermediate examinations that are a reminder of how decrepit our education system is and how ethics are lost at a very early age. This year too, despite strict instructions from the authorities, more than 200 students were caught cheating during Intermediate examinations in Sindh. Out of these, 46 were impersonators who were taking the exam for the actual candidate. Earlier in the year, question papers for math and physics were leaked from the office of the Board of Secondary Education in Karachi just before the Matric exams were about to start. The matter is of concern and needs deeper introspection. Cheating in exams is wrong and should be unequivocally condemned as not only a dishonest representation of one’s academic abilities but also as an act that robs a deserving student of the reward — perhaps a coveted spot at a higher educational institution or a scholarship — of his or her hard work.

In broader terms, such unethical practice reflects the inadequacy of the public education system itself. On the one hand, it exposes the incompetence of the examination boards that are unable to conduct a routine academic exercise in a fair manner — how can they then be trusted to take responsible and informed decisions regarding other academic matters? On the other hand, cheating is indicative of the students’ own sense of insecurity with a system that does not encourage criticism and thinking minds and where children’s natural curiosity is often crushed by the teachers who are themselves a product of a system where rote learning and unimaginative textbooks take precedence over inspired teaching. The authorities need to think beyond registering cases against students and work to fix the larger structural issues in education.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2021