A Lucrative Bussiness

(Abu Shahab, Karak)

Disgraced, as we have been by our rulers in the comity of nations, we as a nation itself has reached at the climax of corruption-- this monster has so tightly clinched us in its clutches that it seems impossible that we ourselves be able to mend our ways and thwart the natural phenomenon of ‘replacement’. Pervez Musharaf is quite right to show the true picture of the people of this country in the western capitals-- as being unruly to be considered at par with those residing in Europe or America.

In this script I am going to give a glimpse of corruption our nation has indulged in-- of an examination center which will be sufficient for the level of corruption we have reached at.

This description is base on facts and the scribe is the eye witness to all those happenings occurred during the process of ‘annual testing’ at the end of the academic year. This test (exam) was being conducted by the BISE, Kohat. I don’t think the situation in other parts, regarding the testing procedure, will be different from that of Kohat Board.

The High School to which this exam center was sanctioned by the BISE, Kohat has not the required strength of students to which a center could be sanctioned. Usually if the students of a school are not enough for an exam center, the students of two or three school are jointly given a center where they take their exam.

But in order to have the exam center in the school, the teachers of that school had paid to BISE, Kohat some money from Rs.25000 to 30000 to have the exam center in the said school. That much money had been collected from the students, Rs. 400 each. For the entertainment and dinner of the exam staff, some additional money had also been levied from the students of 9th and 10th class of the said school.

In such like circumstances exam was conducted very smoothly and the doors of cheating were opened to the students of the said school. And for those coming from other school, the staff members had become very poise and true educationists always reminding them the curses of cheating.

In that exam center nearly 30% impersonation cases were detected which proved very beneficial for the staff. They were given amnesty for this crime for Rs. 1500 to 3000 each. A boy was telling me that a staff member took Rs. 1500 from him and gave assurance against any criminal case. He was taking exam of 10th class for his primary pass brother and was caught red handed. After that detection and amnesty, his brother started taking his exam on his own.

Apart from the collective dinner program, the staff members were enjoying individual dinner invitation every day. They were openly demanding it from the supporters of the candidates. A staff member was not indulging in all those practices and was not allowing the students to copy from the guides books, the superintendent tried to keep him away from the students of the said school, and kept him in rotation; he could not remain in a single room for more than thirty minutes.

Those who had paid the superintendent some handsome amount were also allowed to solve their papers outside the center. Once a staff member was rebuked and openly insulted by a person because he was not allowing his brother to solve his paper from the guide books though the staff member had taken some handsome amount from that person.

Some cases of deliberate teasing by the superintendent were also reported to this scribe in order to get the attentions of the relatives of the students for cooperation in the form of rich dinners or cash. A student told me that his answer sheet was snatched three minutes before the due time and a sentence was left incomplete which could affect the central idea of the problem. The said student was not cooperating with the staff member in the form of dinner and other methods of cooperation. The students wept before the superintendent but in vain. He could write that sentence without any outside help!

Outside the exam center a scene of a festival could be seen where the relatives of the student’s were rushing here and there in order to convey the required material to their sons and brothers. Thanks to the cell phone availability that the first objective type questions part would be conveyed to the students before the distribution of the answer sheets even.

It is also said that duty in an exam center is subject to bargaining in BISE, Kohat. You can buy a duty for yourself through approach or by paying Rs.500 to 1000 to the administrative staff of the board.

And some professional teachers enjoy duties during each exam throughout the exam season. It is also said that in the tribal and semi-tribal areas the superintendent come with a Suzuki Car and the staff member with motor cycle. Such is the exams taking process of our boards. If someone thinks that a nation with that kind of educational system will have rulers that won’t bow down through a single telephone call or won’t sell them to foreign countries for some petty gains, needs a psychiatrist consultation. I think this nation fully deserve to have such kind of rulers.

Abu Shahab
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