Sindh postpones outsourcing of board exams

KARACHI: The education boards of Sindh have opposed the Sindh government’s move to outsource the entire examination system of the public and private educational institutions to a third-party organisation, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to sources, the education board’s chairmen in Sindh have opposed the Sindh’s Department of Universities and Boards’ decision to outsource the examinations this year as, according to them, the matric, inter exams are set to commence next month and it is impossible to proceed with the outsourcing plan.

After the resistance, the Universities and Boards department decided to outsource the examination system from the next academic calendar.

It emerged that five education boards of Sindh are operating without permanent chairmen and despite filing the vacant posts, the provincial government has decided to outsource the matriculation and intermediate annual examinations.

Earlier, the Sindh government had approved the outsourcing of matric and intermediate boards in view of complaints of irregularities in board examinations and results across the province.

The Department of Boards and Universities wrote a letter to the heads of all matric and intermediate education boards in the province.

“Due to several complaints about maladministration and corrupt practices in conducting the examinations and compiling the results of SSC and HSC, Minister for Universities & Boards Department Ismail Rahoo, in his capacity as controlling authority, has granted approval to outsourcing the examination system from the forthcoming annual examination 2023 by all boards in a phased manner,” the letter read.

The letter further stated that the chairmen of all boards are therefore requested to prioritise examination components for outsourcing through an open competitive bidding process in terms of the SPPRA Rules, 2010 amended from time to time.