The conducting of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Annual Examination 2021 (matriculation exams) witnessed several irregularities today (Monday) at various examination centres across the city.
According to reports, examination papers were not delivered to examination centres set up at private schools in Dhoraji, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Landhi and Korangi areas. The paper could not be delivered to the Government Girls Secondary School in Sachal Goth.
It was also reported that there was a delay in the arrival of exam papers in North Nazimabad, New Karachi, North Karachi, Orangi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal up to an hour. There were also several violations of COVID-19 SOPs reported at various centres.
A physics paper was leaked at an examination centre in the metropolis. The paper started at 9:30am and the questionnaire was available outside the examination centres after four minutes, exposing lapses in the education ministry’s administration.
Corruption in the system
The quality of education in the public sector is plummeting in Pakistan and the entire education system is facing institutional decay. It appears that the factors responsible for the state of affairs of education converge on a single point corruption.
Our literacy rate has gone down from 60% to 58%, while the number of children out of school in Pakistan is second only to Nigeria. Government hardly ever shows commitment towards fighting corruption in education. There seems to be a lack of political will on the government’s part.
Lack of technological advancement
The governmental education boards still seem to be stuck in the 80s and haven’t yet been computerized. Students have to wait for hours outside the board offices to get their metric/inter certificates or other important documents. This highly inept system, creates room for bribery instead of eliminating it.
The youth is considered the national asset of any country and the hope for a bright future because they are the architects of the nation who have to lay a strong foundation for a new tomorrow. In such a scenario, a country like Pakistan, which has a large population of young people, cannot afford the destruction of the educational process.
