Committee identifies irregularities in Karachi’s 2022, 2023 Intermediate Exams

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A three-member investigative committee, tasked with scrutinizing anomalies in the results of examinations administered by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), has unearthed extensive irregularities in the outcomes of the intermediate year 2022 exams during the tenure of former board chairman Dr. Saeeduddin. The committee has submitted its findings to the caretaker chief minister of Sindh.

Chaired by Rafiq Ahmed Buriro, Chief Minister Inspection Team, the committee comprised Shah Mir Khan Bhutto, Special Secretary Finance, and Shahzad Fazal Abbasi, Director Anti-Corruption. The committee’s report discloses the discovery of alterations, tampering, and result deductions during its investigation.

Upon examination of the Pre-Medical group’s annual 2023 answer scripts, it was discovered that numerous answer scripts lacking security features, such as controller exam or QR codes, were used in the exam. The absence of signatures strongly suggests that unauthorized tampering with answer scripts was likely carried out to favor certain candidates.

In addition to the irregularities in the 2022 annual examinations, the committee also revealed discrepancies in the 2023 exams, involving the use of answer scripts lacking security features. This heightened the potential for manipulation in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination results by substituting answer scripts. Furthermore, the report alleges the destruction of evidence related to tampering with the 2022 exam results during the terms of the respective supervisors and sectional heads (keepers of records) for the Pre-Engineering and Pre-Medical groups.

The report highlights that, based on information obtained from controller exams, deputy controller exams, and assistant controller exams, along with incomplete records and recorded statements, tampering with award lists was identified in the Pre-Medical science group’s annual exams in 2022. Numerous instances were found where marks were deducted in the award list, and students’ marks in various subjects were inflated, resulting in nearly identical/uniform marks.

The report includes details of the raised marks and copies of award lists where mark deductions were observed. Additionally, an examination of the case list for HSC annual examinations in 2021 and 2022 in both Pre-Engineering and Pre-Medical groups revealed an extraordinary increase in students’ marks.

The report discloses that a prior inquiry, directed by the secretary of the Universities and Boards Department, Government of Sindh, had been conducted before the current investigation, but its recommendations were not implemented. Moreover, the report asserts that discrepancies, tampering, and deductions in the results of the Pre-Medical section were identified in the HSC Annual Examination 2022, a finding consistent with previous inquiry committees. The failure of former chairmen Saeeduddin and Naseem Memon to enforce recommendations against culpable officers was also noted.

The report additionally highlights the destruction of evidence related to tampering with the 2022 exam results during the terms of the then chairman, controller examination, and relevant supervisors and sectional heads (custodians of records) for the Pre-Engineering and Pre-Medical groups, including the controller examination, deputy controller examination, assistant controller examination, and sectional heads.