ATTOCK, May 20: Candidates appearing in the intermediate examinations under the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) have asked the board to take instant measures for the provision of alternative electricity arrangements at examination centres.
The frequent power outages, particularly during the paper timings (9am to 12 noon), has forced candidates to solve their papers in the heat and humidity.
A number of candidates and their parents complained that they were facing problems due to the absence of power, while most centres did not have the necessary alternative arrangements such as generators.
The candidates had to face physical and mental anguish, which also affected their resultsSome Parents of candidates have informed that their children are daily complaining to them to do something to resolve their existing problems as they feel sever suffocation during examination, which also led to suffering of headache and unconscious among may students.
“It is very troubling that candidates are solving papers in the heat and humidity, and sitting there for three consecutive hours, while electricity is only available three to four hours per day,” they said.
Candidates said the administration of local schools, where FBISE examination centres were set up, could not afford expensive generators and it was the duty of FBISE to ensure alternative power arrangements were present.
They said the visiting monitors and inspectors of the board were reluctant to ask the administrations to ensure provision of electricity.
“Except for the examination centre at Army Public College, there is no facility of generators at other FBISE centres,” one candidate said.
The examination rules state that it is the right of candidates to have such facilities, including provision of drinking water.
However, no authority is present to ensure implementation, despite the heavy examination fee charged from the students.
“If candidates get poor results, it will be the fault of the government and FBISE,” candidates said, adding that ultimately they would be suffering.
When contacted, Controller Examinations (conduct) FBISE Tariq Pervez admitted that candidates were facing problems due to the power failure.
However, he said the provision of proper seats, light and water was the responsibility of the educational institutions where the exams were being held.
“There is no specific rule which states that generators must be available at the examination centres, as majority of the schools of the federal board have standby generator facility,” he said.
He added that is was a general practice to intimate Wapda authorities to avoid loadshedding during examinations, adding that the board would make arrangements to avoid problems for the candidates.
Mr Pervez suggested that in the future, the board may consider providing the examination centre status to those education institutions which had generators, adding that FBISE could not provide generators to each examination centre, which numbered in the hundreds.
He said suggestions would be placed before the FBISE authorities but for the current examinations, he would personally visit examination centres to try and redress the complaints.