Ban on Guides, Guess Papers to End Booty Mafia

Ban on guides, Guess Papers Advised To End Booty Mafia
Lahore, June 23: A committee constituted by the Punjab chief minister for the elimination of Booty Mafia has recommended ban on guide books and guess papers to control the growing menace of use of unfair means during exams.

The committee has also recommended 100 percent increase in remuneration of supervisory staff and examiners and to award single tenure to officers serving the examination boards on deputation.

The recommendations were finalized in a recent meeting of the committee which was chaired by MPA Rana Muhammad Afzal. The other prominent members included MPAs Dr Saeed Elahi, Raja Muhammad Anwar who is also Chairman Taskforce on Elementary Education, the Secretary Higher Education, the Additional IG (Finance), the Additional IG (Special Branch) and the Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE) Gujranwala Muhammad Akram Ch.

During the meeting, Raja Muhammad Anwar informed the house that printing of guess papers and guides had badly affected the last examination of Class 5 and 8 conducted by the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC).

A consensus was developed among the participants that any one found publishing guide books one month prior to the conduct of exams would be prosecuted under law while about publishing or issuance of guess papers, the meeting observed, had already been banned and was not acceptable in any form.

After detailed discussion on different options of practical exam at matriculation and intermediate level, the committee recommended reduction of weightage of practical marks by 50 percent while the head examiner would check 33 percent of the answer books of practical exams instead of 10 percent.

Regarding the selection of officers for appointment in the BISEs on deputation on posts like chairman, secretary and controller of examinations, the committee unanimously recommended that only one tenure posting should be allowed after which the officers would be repatriated to parent department.

The committee also recommended that the services for the appointment of center superintendents and deputy superintendents would be hired from the education department while the invigilators might be hired from amongst the students of Government College for Elementary Teachers (GCETs), education colleges and other such institutions. Upto 100 percent increase in remuneration of supervisory staff and examiners was also unanimously recommended by the committee.

Commenting on printing of guide books and guess papers, Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) Chairman Sohail Masood said under the National Textbooks and Reading Material Policy 2007 multiple textbooks would be recommended while the examination would be curriculum-based. "Under this system there is no room for those printing guide books and guess papers", he said adding "The mafia involved is, therefore, opposing this policy". It is pertinent to mention that the prolonged stay of officers posted at boards on deputation has been a subject of criticism owing to which the government wants to change its policy now.