Leakage of examination paper

Leakage of examination paper
Karachi: An inquiry has been initiated by University of Karachi (KU) Controller of Examinations Dr Nasiruddin Khan into the issue of the recent leakage of examination paper at the university.

Dr Khan said that KU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof. Pirzada Qasim had taken note of the incidents of irregularities in the examinations department and had asked Dr Khan to take measures to stop such practices that were ruining the reputation of the institution.

"I had requested the KU registrar to issue letters of explanation to the three department employees - Muhammad Arif, Tajuddin and Muhammad Bashir - who were found to be involved in wrongdoings. The registrar issued the letters but had to withdraw them after protests from the KU Employees Union. The union members locked the Administration Building and created a hue and cry. This has emboldened the culprits," Dr Khan said.

He added that vigilance officers reported 14 cases of impersonation last Friday and Saturday. The cases were sent to the examinations department for further action. "Quick justice", however, was not possible because the process of punishing the impersonators is long and slow and generally ends in a stalemate, Dr Khan said. "Some powerful people always come for the rescue of the culprits, which is extremely frsutrating," he claimed.

Interestingly, event though investigation into the recent cases of impersonation is still in the embryonic stage, Dr Khan has already received some entreaties, some threats and some orders for various quarters to hush up the case.

A senior professor of the university, requesting anonymity, wondered why the university was not filing first information reports (FIRs) against the culprits. "In my opinion, which my colleagues agree with, these are criminal cases and should be handled by the police and the courts of law. The examinations department should not be bothered with them," he said.

Dr Khan conceded that this was the right approach and confided that the university high-ups were in the process of envisaging ways that would make it possible for the administration to file criminal charges against the offenders. They will be apprehended by the Rangers and the KU Security staff and will be handed over to the police after regular procedures including the filing of FIRs.

A source in the university informed that certain quarters were trying to reinstate Dr Anwar Zaidi, a teacher in the Mathematics department. This was the precise reason why a lot of confusion was created by these people. It may be recalled that Dr Zaidi was the controller of examinations and Semester Cell incharge. He was removed from both posts after allegations against him were proved.

Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) President Dr Abid Hasnain has condemned the cases of paper leakages and asked the university administration to be more vigilant and strict on this issue. He has also criticised the holding of graduate-level college examinations in the university. "It is creating a law and order situation for us. Our resources are stretched. Imagine more than 12,000 students descending on the university at a time. It should be stopped altogether," he concluded.