Hundreds of candidates were caught red-handed to cheat at the recent Secondary School Certificate examinations.
It is sad to see parents and elders encouraging their offspring to engage in this corrupt practice as a norm. There was no hint of shame on the faces of offenders during the entire process of examination. It shows that a substantial number of students believe that obtaining a certificate with high scores on mark sheets is what is really desirable — not the corresponding level of attainment or its practical display in the examinations.
It is tantamount to sowing the seeds of corruption in the tender fields of young minds. What good can one expect from folks whose educational foundation is bolstered with malpractice of probably the worst order?
A visit to a centre revealed that students taking the exams had many complains, including poor and incomplete delivery of the prescribed courses. Subject teachers for vital courses such as English and Mathematics were nowhere to be traced in many government schools. Expensive private tuitions or consulting old solved papers of mundane quality were used as the methods of preparation for exams. From hiring of teachers to timely printing of textbooks, ghost schools to absconding teachers, government apparatus has miserably failed to deliver.
Despite the countless projects, donor-funded programmes and the much trumpeted corrective actions, the structure of education rests on very weak foundations. Thus conducting examinations in a dubious manner serves all whose bad performance does not enable the pupils to gain enough knowledge and confidence to qualify for their respective level. The proverbial collusion of educational establishment, teachers, political and local activists joins hands to defeat merit and fair play. No wonder that judicial officers carried out inspections and unveiled the various malpractices a few weeks ago.
The next levels of education and the overall educational buildup of concerned students are negatively impacted. Poor quality of human resource development is the biggest reason for this. One finds that those mindful and socially capable of subscribing to a parallel education system and examinations finally dominate all walks of practical life. The society gets divided un-necessarily at the first tread of career development. The reputed universities and institutions devise stringent measures to double check and reexamine seekers of admission through admission tests and interviews.
It is not uncommon to find that students possessing 80 per cent marks or more through a slack system are not even able to obtain passing marks in university entrance examinations. The same taboo continues to haunt them throughout their lives. Wealthy and influential children are able to survive for obvious reasons. However, ordinary folks suffer throughout their lives as no opportunity can be competed and acquired by such young folks through simple means of merit. Without fail, a cycle of corruption is propelled which some time results into scams such as fake degree fiasco and similar syndromes.
On several occasions, institutional reforms of very basic kind have been voiced by experts. An independent body of academics and education managers may be formed to manage the examinations under strict care and monitoring. Support of law enforcing agencies, including civil armed forces, may be sought to prevent any eventuality of cheating. Assessment of answer books must be done in a similar manner with at least two examiners assigned for each answer book. A pilot project may be created in any chosen location of the province.
It may be noticed that if and when the credibility of examination system will be restored, it will have far reaching results. A pressure will be built up from the pupils upon the teachers and school managements to properly teach and perform their allied duties. Real rise in competence and attainment levels shall boost human resource development, reduction in corruption, progress in various social and economic sectors and a real trickledown effect of public investments in the society. The caretakers can at least plan the forthcoming higher secondary school examinations in a scientific and transparent manner.
The writer is professor and chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi.