ISLAMABAD: A new scam in record-keeping of answer sheets of Higher Secondary School Certifi­cates (HSSC) exams has hit the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), the country’s largest education board, which also conducts exams of overseas Pakistani students.

Sources in the board said that during the scanning of answer sheets of HSSC papers, some were found to have been allegedly replaced with new ones, a step which raises eyebrows as annual results of HSSC are expected to be announced next month.

The sources said that since every page of answer sheets carries a QR code, when replaced sheets reached Information Technology System, the automatic system detected them. There are allegations of replacement of 62 answer sheets, but that were detected later on.

The sources said that scanning work was being carried out by loaders (hired for loading work), adding that when matter came to the notice of higher-ups, several loaders were dismissed in a bid to hide the matter.

Some answer sheets were found to have been allegedly replaced with new ones; HSSC results likely next month

“Only removal of some loaders is not enough. There is a need for proper inquiry to know if this all was done to give favour to a select group of students or it was a human error. This is not a simple case and it warrants a proper inquiry to fix responsibility,” said an official. He said the Federal Investigation Agency should probe the matter.

When contacted, Joint Secretary of Education Syed Junaid Ikhlaq, who is also looking after affairs of FBISE, said that he had ordered a proper investigation into this matter.

“The board has itself detected replaced answer sheets and that means we have a good system in place. I was told that during the scanning process, answer sheets of a few students, maybe 32 pages, were replaced by some loaders, who have already been removed,” he said, adding that to further probe the issue, he has ordered a proper investigation.

“I am ordering a detailed inquiry to further look deep into it and make improvements in the system,” he said.

He said that as per their initial information, the replacement of answer sheets was a ‘limited attempt’. “We will look into this issue, if it is established that someone deliberately did this work, let me assure you, we will not spare anyone,” he said.

Mr Ikhlaq further said that this issue will have no effect on the results of HSSC, as the matter was detected by the board well before time.

After the scanning, the answer sheets are supposed to be sent to paper checkers for marking, before announcing the final results.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024