Loop-Holes in PEC Administration

Punjab Education Commission (PEC) which is the body to regulate and control exams of 5th Class and 8th Class boards seems not to be very vigilant in administrating macro-level exams in the province this year. It cannot be said whether it is the loose grip of higher officials or the negligence of lower staff that the body has proved to be quite ‘efficient’ in mismanaging the on-going exams. After 5th class’ exams were marked with inefficiency and poor homework by Punjab Examination Commission, students appearing for the exams of Class 8th too had to face problems in the administration of the exams.

Although it is a good omen that much of the arrangements have been improved in conducting the exams for Class 8th as printed papers were dispatched to the examination centers in time; however, many students and their parents could be seen immensely worried as many of the candidates either did not receive or they contained mistakes in their roll-number slips even after beginning of exams.

2.2 million students have registered for taking the board exams of Class 5th and 8th for whom Punjab Examination Commission on the directives of the Government of Punjab has set up 12,000 exam centers. Each exam center was to be supplied with six different versions of question papers in order to scrutinize the leakage of question papers but the papers could not be printed in time so Class 5th exam started on 21st February had to be postponed.

Although, printed question papers of Class 8th were handed-over to exam centers for the second phase of the exams conducted by PEC but the target of distributing question papers categorized in six different versions could not be achieved.

Papers of Class 8th have begun according to the schedule, that is, 1st March2015.