LAHORE, March 20: The Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE) has accorded approval to grant a special examination to all candidates, who had appeared in diploma in commerce (part-I) first annual examination 2004, and trying to clear their compartments.

The board has accorded approval on the orders of Punjab Ombudsman Abdur Rashid Khan.

According to a news release issued here on Tuesday, a complainant, Muhammad Azam, submitted that he had appeared in diploma in commerce (part-I) first annual examination of the PBTE in 2005 and failed in English. Consequently, he was allowed to clear the compartment till first annual exam 2007. He appeared in the first annual exam 2006 but failed and was directed to appear in all subjects.

Later, he requested the ombudsman to direct the PBTE to allow him a chance till first annual exam 2007 to clear the compartment in accordance with its previous decision.

In its response, the PBTE submitted that students were given four chances to pass the examination under the board’s rules. The complainant had appeared in the first annual examination 2004 but failed. The board did not conduct the second annual exam in 2004. For this reason, the complainant took the first annual exam in 2005 but did not appear in second annual exam 2005 and then appeared again in the first annual examination 2006 and failed. The board said that in this situation, the complainant availed the four chances available for clearing the compartment under the rules.

In his decision, the ombudsman observed that PBTE had amended Clause 3 of the “Promotion Rules 2001” in 2004 that in future no supplementary examination would be held in diploma in commerce (part-I) and DBA (part-I).

It issued a direction in this regard in September 2005 that supplementary examination for diploma in commerce (part-I) for late college students would be held in 2005. The complainant, however, did not take the supplementary exam and appeared in the annual examination 2006 because he thought that he was entitled to clear the compartment till annual exam 2007.

Consequently, the ombudsman directed the PBTE controller (exams) to place the matter before the competent authority for another chance regarding the candidates, who participated in the first annual exam 2004 in diploma in commerce (part-I) and to take a decision based on principles of justice and fair play.

In its compliance report, the PBTE informed the ombudsman secretariat that the board had approved a special chance to all such candidates, who had appeared for the first time in the first annual examination 2004 of the diploma in commerce (part-I).