The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BIEK) announced the results of the first year (Part I) examination in which a large number of students failed, raising concerns about their declining performance, The News reported on Wednesday.
According to the statistics, 80% of candidates failed in Arts (Regular) groups, 72% failed in Arts (Private) groups and 63% failed in Commerce (Private) groups.
Earlier in the results released last week, only 36.5% candidates were successful in Pre-Medical, 34.79% in Pre-Engineering and 38.69% in Computer Science groups.
This trend is alarming, especially as most of the students who passed the matriculation examinations with lower marks now face potential problems in securing admission in professional universities and colleges as the admission process is usually based on Inter Part-I marks.
The situation is aggravated by the absence of key officials, including the chairman, controller and secretary in BIEK. The structure of the interim leadership lacks stability, the Karachi Commissioner holds the post of chairman but is conspicuously absent from the board.
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Since taking charge, the commissioner has rarely visited the board and oversees operations from a distance. In addition, the Deputy Comptroller, appointed by the Commissioner, assumes the role of the Comptroller in the absence of the dedicated Comptroller.
The positions of secretary and comptroller are held by individuals who were previously employed as board officers, raising concerns about their qualifications for these key roles.
It is important to note that the search committee headed by Professor Dr. Tariqem Rafim, who is also the chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC), recommended Sindh Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar to appoint Dr. Muhammad Memon and Muhammad Hussain Syed for the recruitment of Chairman, Secretaries, Examination Supervisors and Auditors in Provincial Boards of Education.
However, this summary was rejected and two bureaucrats — Anwar Haider and Mukhtiar Soomro — were appointed instead. Both individuals lack relevant experience in boards of education, unlike the candidates proposed by SHEC. Syed had earlier served as Secretary of Boards and Universities, while Memon held the position of Hyderabad Board of Trustees Chairman.
Sources reveal that the process of recruiting officers in education boards is under the control of Health Minister Mansoor Abbas, who is said to be close to the CM’s caretaker. This departure from a search committee or secretary of boards of trustees and university recommendations raises questions about transparency and the merit-based selection of officials responsible for key roles on education boards.
