LAHORE, Nov 25: When rules are flouted, the result is a chaos as it happened with Punjab educational boards’ results when a computer programme was launched to register candidates and prepare results all in violation of rules.

Advocate Azhar Siddique put up his arguments on Friday before a judicial commission probing into the fiasco that the boards’ rules state the authorities are bound to notify a new system two years before its implementation.

In his opinion, the boards should have either notify the launch of computerised examination system two years ago, or should have implement it after two years.

No such thing happened in this case as the whole project was launched in hurry, and the project was given blued-eyed Dr Amjad Naeem for he was the kin of an influential senator, said Mr Siddique before one-man commission Justice Chaudhry Shahid Saeed. He, however, could not prove Dr Naeem’s link with the senator.

The issue hit the headlines when the results of intermediate examination, 2011, full of egregious errors drew protests across the province.

Mr Siddique had requested the commission on Thursday to allow him to put up evidences with regard to failure of computerised and online systems.

On Friday, he presented some papers to the commission, which were not made public.

Mr Siddique said the boards had asked every candidate to submit their form-B with exam registration forms which had created problems for the candidates. In short, he held former Higher Education Department secretary Ahad Cheema and IT consultant Dr Majid Naeem responsible for the whole fiasco.

The commission observed that blood of those candidates who committed suicide to protest incorrect results would not go waste. Two candidates died of suicide for, what the media reported, their shock over the bad results.

Intermediate examinations matter a lot for the candidates for every single mark in papers can make or ruin their future.

While discussing the result fiasco, the judge said all schools in Punjab should have been made Danish schools in order to enforce a uniform education system.

“Either there should be no Aitchison or there should be all Aitchisons,” the judge used the metaphor for elite schools.

The judge also expressed his concern over the deterioration of country’s education system.

The lawyer said that educational institutions should be free from political influence to improve education system in the country.

Another former IT consultant of boards, Yousaf Samdani, also recorded his statement to the commission. He said the Punjab Boards Committee of Chairmen (PBCC) had appointed him coordinator against a monthly remuneration of Rs24,000. His contract expired after nine months. He said the pace of work had been slow in boards because of boards’ reluctance to spend money on the automation project. He said then PBCC chairperson had informed him that the board had no money.

He claimed that no irregularity was committed in tenders during his tenure and that he had no role in issuing or approving the tenders.

He said when he was serving the boards, it was decided to run the old manual examination system parallel to the computerised one but Dr Naeem told the boards to stop manual registration and result preparations.

He held Dr Naeem and his appointing authority responsible for the messed-up results. However, he chose not to disclose the name of the appointing authority.

A news channel reporter, Shumaila Jafri, also appeared before the court and tendered her unconditional apology for airing a report apparently amounted to influence the commission’s proceedings. The judge accepted her apology, saying that the electronic media ignored facts in a bid to give breaking news.

The commission adjourned proceedings till Saturday (today) and directed Mr Samdani to submit his appointment letter.

Commission’s registrar said that on Saturday the commission would go through the statements and material submitted by the parties involved.