Intermediate examinations: cheating mafia controlling most centres

The cheating mafia is controlling most examination centres, set-up for annual intermediate examinations in the city. Police and other security personnel deployed outside the examination centres have failed to restrain the mfia from operating in and around the examination centres in the city.
Sources said that the mafia was operating under the patronage of various ethnic and political groups and minting money by allowing candidates to use unfair means in the exams. The administration of the examination centres and security personnel seemed helpless in face of the mafia. Sources revealed that in some centres the illegal practice is being carried out in collaboration with teachers and invigilators.
An official of KMC College, Nishtar Road told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity that members of the mafia were threatening the invigilators and aiming guns at them when they try to restrain them. Cheating and using unfair mean during the ongoing exams at KMC College's centre has become very common and the practice is continued unabated, he added. He said the mafia charge Rs 100 to Rs 500 from each student for providing cheating materials.
He revealed that separate room facility was also being offered at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 to the students for cheating. Sources said that in various other centres, separate rooms were being offered to students against payment of handsome amount to the mafia, where they copy conveniently.
In SM Science College favourite students have been allotted separate rooms so that they could conveniently use unfair means during the exams, they revealed. The mafia is said to be in control in the examination centres set up at Government Adamjee Science College, Siraj-u-Dula College, Government Jinnah Science and Arts College, Government College Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
When this scribe contacted some college teachers, who are on examination duty in these centres, they said the unscrupulous elements were hurling threats at them if they refuse to collaborate with them. "What we can do, as the security personals deployed outside the centres are also collaborating with the mafia," a teacher commented. "They are giving life threats and are compelled to follow their instructions," he added.
Chairman Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi (BIEK) Professor Anwar Ahmed Zai when contacted told Business Recorder that 90 examination centres had been established where 1.5 million students were appearing in the exams. He said that strict security arrangements were needed at the examination centres especially at those centres declared sensitive by the controller of the examination.
He urged the government to depute Ranger outside the centres in order to avert any untoward incident during examination process. It is pertinent to mention here that the BIEK's vigilance committee paid surprise visits of the examination centres and caught red handed more than 80 candidates using unfair means.