LAHORE: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore has launched a cutting-edge software system for the Matriculation exam to ensure transparency, fairness and security throughout the examination process.

BISE Lahore Task Force Committee for Boards Chairman Mazamil Mahmood, Higher Education Department Secretary Dr Farrukh Naveed, and Lahore Commissioner/Chairman Board Zaid bin Maqsood held a meeting on Saturday to discuss transparency of the 2025 Matric exam. BISE Lahore Secretary Rizwan Nazir and Controller Examinations Zahid Mian were also present.

It is the first time that an automated system had been used to deploy examination staff, including superintendents, deputy superintendents and invigilators. The system will automate the allotment of duties in the examination.

The 2025 Matric exams will be facilitated by 920 examination centres, an increase of 52 centres compared to previous years, accommodating 568,854 students from both Science and General Groups. In an effort to maintain the integrity of the examination process, blacklisted, retired, and private staff will not be appointed.

BISE Lahore Secretary Rizwan Nazir emphasized this automation system marked a significant step forward in the deployment of examination staff.

The automated system was developed by programme engineer Tahir Yaqob who received training in AI and automation from Silicon Valley. The system is designed to manage teachers’ data zone-wise and leverages a comprehensive data bank of 100,000 teachers. It autonomously allocates duties to examination staff without user intervention, reducing the risk of favoritism and cheating, prevalent in the manual appointment process. Several checks have been introduced to maintain integrity. The system will verify that teachers are not marked in restricted categories and will ensure that teachers are not assigned to centers where their students are taking exams.

The key benefits of the system include preventing individuals from using personal influence to secure appointments at preferred centers, reducing the risk of examination malpractice.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025