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KARACHI, Dec 30: Inadequate transportation and security hassle caused inconvenience to a large number of candidates appearing in degree class examinations at the University of Karachi on Monday.
Students blamed the University administration for ignoring the problems of the candidates who visited the campus for the exams in the afternoon. As estimated by an examination department official, about 22,000 regular and external candidates appeared in BSc, BCom and BA annual examinations held in different departments, gymnasium and tents on the campus.
Almost half of the students reported to their respective centres 15 to 40 minutes behind the schedule. The exams are being conducted from 2pm to 5pm, except on Fridays when the schedule is from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.
Interviews of the students showed that the University at no stage had considered their problems while fixing the dates for examinations of various subjects. The number of students registered for science and commerce examinations for Monday was extraordinary while public transports on the University Road was already thin to meet the needs of the candidates.
The candidates were seen travelling on the roofs of minibuses and coaches, which gave an impression that they had to go through mental and physical fatigues much before the commencement of the exams.
After being dropped by the transporters at the two main entrances of the University, half of the students had to proceed to their centres on foot as the University administration failed to provide what it called the shuttle bus services in the peak hours.
Normally, buses, minibuses and coaches are allowed to travel up to the rangers’ check-post near the Arts Faculty, but on Monday they were not allowed to ply on the campus after 1pm, said a student, claiming that the University transport was also not available on time to pick them for their centres, many of them were located at a distance of about 0.5 to 1.25km from the silver jubilee gate.
To add to the inconvenience, some of the KU buses were asked to drop the students at the check-posts, so that they might undergo “necessary exercises” carried out by the security personnel.
From the check-post, which has been set up at a two-minute’s drive from the silver jubilee, the students have either to take another bus, if it is available, or march in a haste.
Another student said that the city also witnessed a traffic disorder due to presence of VVIPs. “Public transports suffered a lot in Malir Cantonment and Shah Faisal area and despite all efforts we could not reach the campus on time,” the students stated before an examination officials while urging with him to condone their behind-the-schedule reporting to the centres.
According to KU transport wing workers, six buses operate from the silver jubilee to the examination centres after every ten minutes. If one takes the figure without any dispute, it can be said that every bus made six trips and thus the six buses in all carried 5,400 candidates in 36 trips, if it was all in an ideal condition.
However, a KU official agreed that the sufferings of the students could be reduced if public transports were allowed to go up to the rangers’ check-post or the KU point buses operated up to the last centre without dropping the students at the check-post.
The students also criticized the KU administration for abolishing the KU shuttle service from Nipa.
An invigilator said that normally the students reporting 10 to 20 minutes late were allowed to take the paper on their desire while no extra time was allotted to them. On Monday, the students were made to run from the centres to the examination department for grant of permission to appear in the exams as they were 30 to 50 minutes late.
On the other hand, the candidates taking the exams in tents complained of inadequate lighting, particularly in the cloudy weather. Electric bulbs or tubelights were not fixed there and ultimately the candidates and invigilators had to work with lesser visibility, they said, adding that on Fridays the situation usually remained at its worst as far as lighting was concerned.
DISTURBANCE: Meanwhile, external candidates appearing in the exams at the Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre claimed that their solved answer scripts of accounting paper were snatched by invigilators soon after a light rain.
“The invigilators asked us to leave the place of examination (tent-B), saying that the paper had been cancelled due to rain.”
A couple of candidates claimed that they had already solved their papers and were just reviewing them and that cancellation of the exam or depriving others of the opportunity was unjustified. About 100 candidates were affected due to the decision and ultimately the rangers were called in to avert any law and order situation, added a telephone caller.
A senior KU examination official in condition of anonymity confirmed the event and said that due to disturbance created by some unscrupulous candidates and not by invigilators, the process of examination was affected and a good number of candidates were asked not to continue their accounting paper, while candidates of BSc and BA at the same centre completed their examination.
Campus sources said that the after-rain fuss affected about 3,000 external candidates. The University authorities were examining the situation and any second examination could not be ruled out.
The students were ready to appear in the examination, but the examiners were not ready to accept the candidates as, according to them, the sanctity of examination was ruined due to the disturbance.
Sources privy to the examination process said they had decided to hold the examination again for the candidates appearing at the Shaikh Zayed Centre but it was not formally announced in order to avert any immediate reaction by students.
It was learnt that the examination process was affected for awhile in the wake of rain at Gymnasium, Mathematics and Mass Communication departments, but the process was completed peacefully by a timely action of the examination and vigilance staff.
