LAHORE: The Lahore District Education Authority (DEA) has suspended 56 school teachers from job for remaining absent from their duties during matriculation supplementary examinations.

Up to 45,929 candidates are participating in the second annual exam and 70 examination centers have been established for the examination. About 554 superintendents, deputy superintendents and other staff are performing duties. Section 144 has been imposed in all examination centres and entry of unauthorised persons will be prohibited in all examination centres.

The examination started from Aug 20 and for ninth grade students, examinations will begin on Sept 3. Practical exams for both Matric and ninth grade will run from Sept 20 to Oct 2, 2024.

The Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) is facing a shortage of supervisory staff in the matriculation supplementary exams and took action after hundreds of teachers refused to invigilate the exams.

The educational board has sent a report on the absent teachers to the DEA, which suspended 56 teachers from Lahore.

The authorities directed the school teachers to report to the DEA office for a personal hearing.

BISE Controller of Examinations Zahid Mian said that reports of absent teachers from the examination centers in Kasur and Sheikhupura have also been sent to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, a candidate was caught red-handed taking the exam in place of someone else at Examination Centre No 19 on Lawrence Road. He was taking the exam in place of the original candidate, Muhammad Irfan. The impersonator was identified as Faheem Abbas.

Action was initiated by creating an unfair means case against the suspect and no leniency would be shown against the impersonators.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024