PESHAWAR, April 23: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Friday stressed the need for expediting the work to introduce information technology in all intermediate boards to ensure complete transparency in examinations and to help candidates.

Speaking at a meeting of chairmen of all boards of intermediate and secondary education in the province, the governor directed them to constitute two committees to prepare detailed proposals in this regard within a month.

Besides chairmen of the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) of Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mardan, Malakand, Swat, Kohat and Bannu, the meeting was attended by Secretary of Schools and Literacy Amjad Shahid Afridi and Additional Secretary to Governor Sikandar Qayyum as well as chairmen of the NWFP Textbook Board and the Board of Technical Education.

The governor reiterated his earlier pledge to encourage talent awards, and said though talented students were being encouraged by all boards, a concrete strategy should be chalked out to duly recognize and appreciate the performance of teachers and students.

The meeting also recommended strict punitive actions against the examination staff who was found involved in malpractices. The meeting also decided that appointments against key posts of the boards should be from outside the jurisdiction of respective boards.

He said frequent appointments of the staff for examinations from the education department should also be avoided. The meeting also supported the idea of introducing a uniformed syllabus throughout the country.

However, the meeting constituted a committee to review the issue in detail and work out recommendations for submissions before the quarters concerned. The meeting also stressed that laboratory facilities in schools require proper up-gradation and strengthening. -PPI