Committee probing faulty Inter first year results proposes additional marks for science subjects

The committee constituted by the Sindh interim chief minister to probe the controversy surrounding the results of the 2023 Intermediate first-year examinations administered by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) has proposed scaling up of the marks of the announced results of pre-medical, pre-engineering and general science candidates.

This recommendation, however, pertains solely to the optional subjects. Also, the students studying arts and commerce are not included in this proposal for additional marks. The fact finding committee recommended that the candidates should be given 15 marks in mathematics, 12 in physics, 12 in chemistry, 6 in botany and 6 in zoology.

In the report to be sent to Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, the committee has recommended that the incumbent controller of examinations who conducted the Higher Secondary School Part I Examinations 2023, all deputy controllers and IT manager, who are responsible for the examinations 2023, must be issued notices for at least their failure to observe rules and regulations.

According to the report, the IT section of the BIEK has been in a dire state in terms of safety and security, housekeeping and professionalism. The report has recommended immediate removal of Muhammad Shaheer Waqar from his post stating that he did not deserve to hold the important position.

The committee has also recommended that availability of all textbooks both in Urdu and English should be ensured prior to the commencement of the academic session, and question paper pattern and marking scheme should also be made available prior to the commencement of the academic session.

Question paper pattern and marking scheme should also remain same for at least three years and strict adherence to the rules and regulations of the BIEK should be ensured, the committee has recommended.

According to the report, the numberof assessment centres should be increased to at least 10 to facilitate centralised assessment as this would ensure consistency and uniformity in assessment.

The committee has also called the use of computer machines for the assessment of the multiple choice questions to eliminate the possibility of human error and reduce the assessment time. In-house training of head examiners, deputy head examiners, co-examiners and invigilators must also be ensured, the committee said.