KARACHI, May 15: The Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, has constituted about 110 vigilance teams, which will oversee the conduct of the HSC annual examinations commencing on May 16.

About 142,000 candidates, including 61,500 women, are likely to take the Science and Commerce groups’ exams, which will be held at 191 centres, including 71 for women, set up at government and private colleges and higher secondary schools in the city.

Talking to Dawn on Monday, the BIE Controller of Examinations, Prof Syed Abdul Aziz, said that about 54 vigilance teams would function in the morning shift and 45 in the afternoon shift.

Every team would comprise two college teachers, who would visit two colleges everyday and report to the board the same day.

He said the vigilance teams would have to submit a report on a prescribed pro forma, along with an acknowledgment from the centre superintendent concerned.

They would report about physical facilities as well as cases of unfair means detected during their stay at the centre, he added.

The purpose of fielding the teams is to ensure that the examination centres work in a peaceful manner and free of the cheating menace, he said.

He said that under the control of the board’s chairman, another 10 teams had been set up as super vigilance teams, which would not only support the examination centres in any emergency situation, but would also supervise the vigilance officers.

He said all arrangements had been made regarding the conduct of exams and it was hoped that things would remain under control.

It was further learnt that the board had made arrangements to know of the availability of electricity, cold water, fans, telephones, number of invigilators, external interference and security position, including deployment of Rangers and police.

However, the principal of a private college, Najeeb Anjum, said that he was disturbed to know that his students would be appearing at a centre, which had been declared as "most sensitive centre".

He hoped that the law enforcing agencies and the college management ensured that his students appeared in the exams at the centre with peace of mind.

In the meantime, the BIE issued 800 admit cards to candidates who had submitted their examination forms, under special consideration, on May 12 and 13.

During the last couple of days, the board issued about 3,500 admits cards to candidates at the board office, said a source.

It was officially said on Monday that the admit cards and date sheets of all private students of the Commerce group had been dispatched to the candidates on their postal addresses.

The admit cards and date sheets of regular candidates had been sent to colleges, and students should collect them from their respective institutions immediately.

The board advised private candidates, who do not receive their admit cards by May 17, to contact the section concerned at the board office during office hours, along with registration cards, the fee deposition receipt and their SSC mark-sheet.