PESHAWAR: All boards of intermediate and secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are gradually transforming to the e-marking mechanism from the traditional manual system for bringing betterment in the evaluation of students in matriculation and intermediate examinations.

In this regard, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar, has already taken the lead by introducing partial e-marking a couple of years ago.

Peshawar BISE chairman Khuda Bakhsh told Dawn that the board had been checking four papers through e-marking, including English, Urdu, Physics and Chemistry, of matriculation and intermediate examinations.

“We will add two more papers in the e-marking mechanism, including computer science and Pakistan Studies, from the next annual examination,” he said.

He further said that they would shift all the papers to the e-marking evaluation from the annual examinations of 2027.

So far, the Peshawar board used to hire private firms for e-marking, he said, adding now they have developed their own software for the purpose.

He said that recently the Peshawar board handed over its software to other education boards for launching e-marking system.

In a major step toward modernising the examination system, the BISE Peshawar formally handed over the province-wide e-marking (on-screen marking) software to all boards of intermediate and secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a statement issued here.

The e-marking initiative represents a decisive shift from traditional manual marking practices to a secure, digital, and standardised evaluation framework. It is designed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and uniformity across all examination boards in the province.

The system incorporates advanced features such as multi-factor authentication, face recognition, automated script cropping and indexing, structured rubrics, real-time monitoring, and comprehensive audit trails.

These features ensure accuracy, eliminate human error, prevent impersonation, and maintain integrity at every stage of the marking process.

By digitising the entire marking workflow, the system significantly reduces result preparation time, enhances examiner efficiency, and sets a uniform standard of assessment across the province.

Officials say the initiative will strengthen public confidence in the examination process and align provincial assessment practices with international standards.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2026