KARACHI: Chairman Matriculation Board Syed Sharaf Ali Shah has allegedly started waiving late fees of ninth and tenth class from certain school owners, it has been revealed.
It has also been learned that owners of schools in Defence, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and other posh localities which collect huge fees being are facilitated through the recommendations of political and other influential people to waive the fees.
Meanwhile, other deserving students in backward areas are being deprived of this offer. The parents of these students are not facilitated and the staff of the Chairman’s Secretariat is not giving access to the Board when they apply for late fee waiver. As a result, after waiting for several hours, many parents return home without paying the fees.
A survey revealed that after the arrival of the new chairman of the matriculation board, the ‘cheating mafia’ has once again resurfaced and is providing the desired examination centres and waiving late fees after receiving underhand payments.
It should be noted that thousands of ninth and tenth class students have been unable to submit their registration forms due to increase in late fees. As a result, the Matric Board has extended the date for submission of examination forms with late fees for Class IX and X.
According to a statement issued by the Matriculation Board, Prof. Syed Sharaf Ali Shah, Chairman Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, has extended the date of submission of annual examination forms for Class IX and X Science and General Group (Regular and Private) till July 2.
He said that the candidates who have not been able to submit their examination forms due to financial or any other reason should not be deprived. He said the facility is being extended for two days to facilitate them.
The students of schools affiliated to the board must submit their examination forms soon with a late fee of Rs2,500. The annual examinations of the ninth and tenth classes are starting from July 5. Therefore, all students and board-affiliated schools must submit the form before the last date.
It has also been learned that leaders of associations of more than 7,000 schools in Karachi are also active in waiving late fees in examination forms.
Private schools already charge admission and examination fees from students in any case. However, some private schools also charge students more than the fees fixed by the Matriculation Board so that late fees for submission of forms by foreign students during the last dates of examinations are waived.
In this regard, Chairman Matriculation Board Sharaf Ali Shah was contacted by MM News correspondent confirmed that he waived the late fees of all those who came on Wednesday, but denied he favoured certain school owners and instead waived the fees of everyone who came to him.
