In spite the furious claims of Chairman Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education Peshawar, Dr. Mohammad Shafi Afridi, for taking strict actions for the prevention of unfair means in examinations. Inter exams were almost ended but usage of unfair means were same and students were freely using “magic pocket guides” in front of the invigilators inside the examination centers in metropolis. Visiting Government College Peshawar after the time when one F.Sc paper was conducted, college Chowkidar was busy collecting pieces of torn guides in plastic bags; more than five bags full of these pieces were gathered at particular room and then the room was locked dwon by the chowkidar; God know batter what happen with that pieces.
This is single case study of Government College but it could be generalized with every examination center in the province; no institution could be pointed out where student do to relying on unfair means during examinations. The “Magic pocket guides” which are easily available in Forest Bazaar of University of Agriculture, Coffe Shop Bazaar of University of Peshawar, Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Sadar Bazaar and in front of Government College in exchange of fifty to hundred rupees only.
Establishment and authorities has done nothing against it so far yet according to recent statement of Chairman BISEP Dr. Shafi Afridi “using of unfair means by poor and weak students usurps rights of talented students”. It discourage talented students as after studying hard day and night for the paper in the scorching hot weather as well as worst load shedding conditions, the dull students were attempting faster than them while using “pocket guide” during the exams which is great failure of our education system and authorities concerned to our education system.
As education system is an instrument which a particular society wants to equip its people with, in order to achieve productive public lives. Quality of education is imparted to youth for the formation of attitudes which would be carried up in their public lives as a seed sowed in classroom would harvested as school master in village school, professor in the college, lecturer in University, doctor in hospital, soldier in the war, lawyer in the court, politician in parliament, bureaucrat running administrative policies as a player in the national games.
Exams are conducted yearly and quarterly offcourse in the semester systems in order to evaluate the performance and judging the scholastic attainment of students but according to educationists, examination system was no more a test of evaluating the performances of students as students absent whole year from the classes and one who show zero participation during the class was obtaining more marks after the examination compare to brilliant students of the class just because of using unfair means in the exams.
The process of examination is divided into three stages that are pre-conducted, conducted and post-conducted phases that include submission of forms, allotment of roll numbers and allocation of centers, appointment of paper examiners, setting question papers and its custody before during and after printing, appointment of examination staff and full duties of examination staff till dispatching paper to the board but there several reports even in Peshawar City for the malpractices in the aforementioned stages.
These malpractices include allotment of choice examination centers, appointment of choice invigilating staff, leaking information about question papers, bribing, influencing and terrorizing examination staff as well as cheating during examination that include usage of “magic pocket guides”, miss-representation of the candidates, smuggling answer sheet out of the center or sometimes examination staff give freedom to the students for using unfair means.
Examination is considered as a profitable business as “Examinations Mafia” comprised examination staff, examination centers’ teachers, watchmen, Chowkidars and nearby photo-state machines’ owners as well as sellers of pocket guides and readymade notes are earning thousands during the exams sessions.
Some schools and colleges administrations particularly of private institutions collect ten to fifteen thousand rupees per student in order to compensate examination staff for allowing students freely use unfair means during examination. The trend is not limited to private institutions but government schools and colleges’ administrations were also reportedly collecting five to ten thousand rupees per student for the said purpose.
Besides this some students individually talk with examination staff for allowing them for cheating as exchange they staff receive from expensive gifts like wrest watches, mobile phones till mobile cards even to easy load. Chowkidars outside the examination center fetching drinking water for the candidates usually smuggle unfair means inside the center as a result of agreement with students. The rates of smuggling a single answer cost three to five hundred as well five to seven thousands rupees were received for the whole day.
It is not only chairman board or government is responsible for this malpractices in exams but we all as a student, parents, teachers, traders, friends and as politicians contributing to it which ultimately lead to the failure of our education system and the outcome of such education system as cricketer would be involve in spot fixing, as a politician would be involve in corruption while other production of our education system would involved in other malpractices as it could be seen today happening in our country.
