HYDERABAD: While a major disciplinary action of suspension of the chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Hyderabad was taken by the Universities & Boards Department for delay in results’ announcement, the officers who were primarily responsible for such delay have been spared considering their political connections.

The department didn’t issue any explanation to BISE Chairman Prof Dr Shuja Mahesar before placing him under suspension outright.

Dr Shuja Mahesar was interestingly appointed as the BISE chairman after his selection through a lengthy process of ‘search committee’ in July for three years. Mahesar is a literary man. He was appointed after the search committee completed the process and till then the BISE had been run almost on an ad-hoc basis.

But he has been placed under suspension while holding him responsible for the unnecessary delay in the announcement of results of class IX and XI by BISE.

Results are normally and in principle terms announced by the controller examination in any educational board. In BISE Hyderabad, two deputy controllers Aijaz Kaka and Mohammad Salahuddin were working under BISE Controller Shakil Leghari.

Committee formed for inquiry into delay in class IX, XI results

Leghari, interestingly, was also working on deputation in BISE Hyderabad (from Mehran University) in violation of Supreme Court’s orders about posting of officers on deputation, look-after charges, own pay and scale (OPS) basis etc. But one of these controller branch officials was said to have the right connection with a powerful female Sindh Assembly member from the ruling party. Kaka and Salahuddin deal with intermediate and matric results within the BISE.

None of them was touched by their administrative department in spite of the fact that Mahesar had issued an explanation to Kaka and according to one report he was also removed from his deputy controller’s post. He, however, got the posting again. Board sources said that while the board was purged of certain unscrupulous elements involved results manipulations but some still remained well entrenched.

Deputy Controller Aijaz Kaka told Dawn that he had replied to that explanation. He said that delays in results of class IX and XI were attributable to nonpayment of copies’ assessment, tabulation, coding, decoding and other issues of administrative nature which were brought into notice of the chairman through the controller examination. When asked that results of classes X and XII were also declared during Mahesar’s incumbency in August this year, he said it was due to efforts of his predecessor who completed the works and results were announced.

Mahesar, meanwhile, remained inaccessible as his cell phone remained off for his viewpoint.

The Universities & Boards Department on Friday constituted a vice-chancellor led three-member committee to fix individual or collective responsibility against officers/officials found responsible for lapses, omissions or commissions and submit a comprehensive report in 30 days regarding undue delay in the announcement of examination results of class IX and XI of Hyderabad.

Sindh University Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Marri would lead the inquiry committee as convener/chairman with chief and controller from any educational board as members. The committee would probe undue delay in announcement of results of the said classes, which caused serious academic loss to students and disruption of their academic sessions and whereas all other boards of intermediate and secondary education in Sindh had already announced their results.

The committee would ascertain facts and circumstances leading to abnormal and undue delay in compilation, tabulation and announcement of class IX and XI examination results by the Hyderabad board. It would examine the role, responsibility and conduct of the BISE chairman as chief executive and principal administrative officer of the board and other officers/officials.

The committee would determine whether there was negligence, inefficiency, willful disregard of instructions or misconduct as defined under Efficiency & Disciplinary Rules 1973 and Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Act 2020 on the part of chairman or any other responsible officers/officials.

“The teachers associated with copies’ assessment were discouraged by some board officials to finalise the assessment in order to intentionally delay the results,” said a source. He said that results had almost been prepared.

The suspended chairman, in view of reports of delays in results’ announcement, had relieved Aijaz Ali Kaka as deputy controller of examinations (top secret branch) and tasked Anwar Ahmed Khan, assistant controller examinations (HSC) to hold additional charge of the post. However, this order had to be withdrawn by the chairman under directives from the Universities & Boards Department.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2025