THE cancellation of the error-ridden intermediate Part-I examination results by the Punjab government is hopefully the first step towards rectifying the agony of tens of thousands of students who are hapless victims of bureaucratic incompetence, and perhaps even machinations. The computerised system that is at the heart of the present problems and the apparent cause of so much mental anguish for students has been controversial since its introduction last year: the now-cancelled Inter Part-I results are the third in a series of problematic results produced. As ever, bureaucratic inertia and perhaps political considerations — the person advising the concerned educational authorities on the computerisation process is close to the PML-N hierarchy — have worsened what was already a serious problem. Had the provincial authorities responded with greater alacrity when the errors reported escalated, much grief could have been avoided. Already, the death of an outstanding student who took his own life after discovering he had virtually failed his latest examinations is a human cost too high. Add to that the damage to property caused by rampaging students and Punjab is having to contend with an unacceptably, and unnecessarily, high cost.

Perhaps what needs to be urgently established is why the result sheets released by the educational authorities are so laced with errors: students getting more than the maximum marks possible in a given exam; tens of thousands of students failing; students' photos being mixed up, etc. Whenever a new system is rolled out, it ought to be tested thoroughly before being put into use. Was the software deficient or were the personnel tasked with handling the new system under-trained? It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a government contract was bungled, particularly in the IT sector. But the investigation should be broader than just a technical assessment of the new system. Already there are rumours that the powerful educational mafia in Punjab may have, in cahoots with officials, deliberately misused or mangled the computerised process. With billions of rupees at stake, it's certainly possible that what is a fairly robust computerisation process has been sabotaged to extend the life of the old, manual system, a system which allowed for much manipulation and graft.

Finally, it is not enough for the provincial authorities to request that yet another 'judicial commission', this time comprising high court judges, be constituted to identify and punish. Judicial commissions dealing with specific issues or crises do not necessarily offer a route to institution-building. Education has recently been devolved to the provinces, if Punjab is to have a better education system, it will need to ask tough questions of itself and identify ways to deliver timely and reliable examination results.