THE performance of many of the country’s public education boards is sub-par, thanks to corruption and inefficiency. Those who resort to unfair means are ‘rewarded’ with high marks, while many of these institutions examine what the student has memorised, not what they have learnt. In an ongoing controversy, thousands of students who took the first-year Intermediate exam from the Karachi board last year have complained that their results are flawed; a significant number have failed. Adding weight to their contention is the fact that an inquiry committee has unearthed evidence of result tampering in the 2022 Inter exam. The committee, appointed by the caretaker Sindh chief minister, has found that answer scripts were replaced “to benefit favourite candidates”. This may be just the tip of the iceberg. Adding to the crisis is the fact that the Karachi Inter board, along with other institutions in Sindh, has been running without chairpersons, exam controllers, etc, after the CM sent these officials home.

Such controversies concerning public boards are frequent. Because of politicisation, and lack of professionalism and transparency, these boards do not enjoy a good reputation. That is why those parents who can afford it opt for foreign examination systems, or private local boards. But the vast majority have no choice but to educate their wards through the public system. Experts say that the marking is subjective, while in many cases those grading the exams are not trained for the job. There are solutions — more transparency, automation, changing the pattern of papers — and some local boards, such as the federal board, as well as boards in Punjab and KP, have shown improvement. However, Sindh lags behind. It is professional educationists who should run the boards, while subject specialists should design exam papers, and find more objective ways of grading. Stuffing the boards with inept and corrupt individuals will destroy the future of our children.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2024