By Punjab’s School Education Minister, Rana Sikandar Hayat, has taken action against alleged cheating facilitation during class-IX annual exams by removing the chairman and controller examination of the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE). Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa has been appointed as the interim BISE chairman and has initiated an inquiry into the allegations, with the additional commissioner (coordination) heading the inquiry committee.
In addition to these administrative changes, the minister personally led a raid at an examination center in Baghbanpura. During the raid, eight officials were arrested for their involvement in facilitating cheating, with five from Government High School Baghbanpura and three from Shalimar College Baghbanpura. These individuals admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for providing solved answer sheets to candidates and allowing impersonation.
Punjab’s School Education Minister, Rana Sikandar Hayat, revealed that the chairman and controller were suspended for their alleged involvement with the cheating mafia in Lahore. He claimed that the controller had authorized the hiring of private individuals to increase the number of invigilators, alleging threats from the cheating mafia for his exposé.
Hayat further alleged that private school interests had bribed board staff to secure specific examination centers, which were allegedly being sold for Rs80,000 each, with evidence to support these claims. He mentioned that acquiring answer-filled papers cost students between Rs4,000 to Rs7,000, as posted on social media by invigilators.
The minister pledged to continue exposing the cheating network, reporting that 30 suspects had been apprehended thus far. The ongoing matric examinations administered by Lahore BISE have been tainted by widespread cheating, resulting in the closure of seven centers and the cancellation of numerous papers.
Meanwhile, Rana Liaqat Ali, General Secretary of Punjab Teachers’ Union Central, expressed doubts about examination transparency. He emphasized that the suspension of the chairman and controller would be ineffective without significant reforms in the examination staff appointment process, particularly criticizing the involvement of private individuals as invigilators.
Punjab Minister Bilal Yasin also took action by visiting examination centers in Lahore, suspending two superintendents and dismissing six invigilators for rule violations. He criticized the appointment of polio workers and private individuals as invigilators and instructed the education CEO to conduct a transparent inquiry into the matter. Additionally, Yasin suspended a superintendent for appointing a polio worker as an invigilator and expressed dissatisfaction with CEO Education Pervaiz Akhtar for negligence, demanding concrete measures to prevent cheating in all examination centers.
