Daily Times

The Punjab Education Commission (PEC) has failed to conduct primary and elementary board examinations satisfactorily. A series of mismanagement debacles were seen during the examinations of Class Five. Over a million students and their parents had to go through a trauma when the PEC abruptly postponed the Class Five English paper that was scheduled to be held on February 24. This English paper was scheduled again for February 25, and again the children had to face hardship as the question papers were unavailable. And a similar episode of mishandling was witnessed on February 26 as the children had to stay late in the examination halls because of delay and unavailability of the Urdu question papers. This rampant mismanagement by the PEC has instilled confusion and uncertainty in the minds of the children, thus putting their future at stake. The PEC has introduced a new pattern of taking the examinations of Grade Five and Eight to prevent cheating and making evaluation more credible. According to the new design, each paper will have six versions. No doubt this is a ‘remarkable’ step, but the point is, if you had a plan to implement the innovation, it was also necessary to check the operational dynamics and be clear in conceptualisation. We do not know if the delays were because of the added number of papers to be printed, but at least in theory, what is to prevent cheating amongst those receiving the same version of the papers? Surely the answer lies not in an array of different versions of the papers but proper and strict invigilation. The PEC’s inability to fulfil its responsibilities in an appropriate and efficient manner has raised serious concerns about its performance. We know education is the most essential ingredient for the development of a nation. Education is an asset to bring about both human and economic development. According to the Pakistan Education Atlas 2013, 32 percent of children aged 5-9 are out of school in Pakistan. The primary completion rate of the country, according to the Data Centre of UNESCO, is 33.8 percent in females and 47.18 percent in males, which speaks volumes for the faults of our education system. The PEC’s current startling mismanagement has added insult to injury.

Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has directed his Education Minister and the Schools Education Department Secretary to probe the negligence and submit a report. One should ask the CM how the very people with whom the ultimate responsibility rests can be expected to hold a credible inquiry against their own ministry or its subsidiary departments. It would be more appropriate if the CM were to revise his order and appoint an impartial commission to investigate the gross mismanagement. In the light of the loopholes and mistakes that may be revealed by such an investigation, it is imperative to rectify the system and ensure such disasters do not recur. *