Exam chaos in Karachi as cheating, outages and poor facilities spark complaints

KARACHI: The third day of the annual matriculation examinations in Karachi was marked by widespread complaints of mismanagement, allegations of cheating and inadequate facilities at multiple centres, while police registered a case over claims that an examination centre was facilitating cheating in exchange for bribes.

Under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi, Biology papers for classes IX and X were conducted in the morning shift at 521 centres, with more than 385,529 students appearing in the examinations. Section 144 remained in force around examination centres to maintain order.

Despite visits by Board Chairman Ghulam Hussain Soho, reports of irregularities continued to surface from different parts of the city. At a centre in Malir, students were allegedly allowed to cheat collectively with the help of mobile phones, while at Government Boys Secondary School in Kala Board, open cheating was reportedly not stopped.

Power outages at several examination centres added to the difficulties faced by students, who were forced to attempt their papers in intense heat. In Lyari, female students were seen sitting on mats due to a shortage of desks and chairs, with no alternate arrangements made by the administration.

Parents also raised concerns over the lack of basic facilities. A parent at a centre in Kala Board said she spends nearly Rs14,000 per child on school fees, in addition to tuition and digital learning costs, yet examination centres failed to provide even basic infrastructure.

Students described severe discomfort during the exam. A ninth-grade student said she had to complete her paper on her lap because of broken furniture, making it difficult to fill out the OMR sheet and raising concerns it could tear.

FIR registered over alleged paid cheating

In a separate development, Shah Latif Town police registered a case against an examination centre in-charge over allegations of enabling cheating in return for payment.

According to the FIR, lodged on the complaint of a Department of Education officer in Bin Qasim Town, the in-charge of a school, identified as teacher Hanif Malik, allegedly demanded Rs5,000 per paper from students and parents to facilitate cheating.

The complaint stated that the allegations surfaced after a video was aired on a private TV channel. Following the report, Board Chairman Ghulam Hussain blacklisted the centre and ordered its closure.

The developments have intensified concerns over the conduct of the ongoing examinations, with complaints from multiple centres pointing to both administrative failures and lapses in maintaining exam discipline.