KARACHI: It is still not clear as to how technical-minded the candidates appearing for the Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE) exams are, but many of them did, however, look like masters in the techniques of cheating, it emerged here on Monday.

The last day of exams saw the taking of papers postponed earlier due to one reason or the other in civil engineering, electrical engineering and auto and diesel technology at various exam centres throughout the city. Despite clear instructions on their board documents and admit cards not to carry basic cellphones or smartphones, many candidates were found to be carrying not just one but two smartphones with extra batteries. Meanwhile, some candidates were found to be overage and others were caught impersonating someone else, as discovered by the vigilance committees.

“Cheating is an ongoing thing. The candidates cheat as if it’s their right to do so and the invigilators allow them to do as they please. How is it we take one round of an examination hall and spot so many cheaters while they can’t even catch one?” asked a very disappointed vigilance committee member who caught 16 candidates googling their answers on their smartphones on Monday.

At a ‘sensitive’ exam centre, the Government Comprehensive Higher Secondary School for Boys in Azizabad, F.B. Area, a stone’s throw from Nine Zero, around five boys, whose smartphones were confiscated by a vigilance committee member along with their answer books, chased after the vigilance team member pleading with him to return the books and phones.

Each candidate already had one basic cellphone on his desk with the battery taken out and placed next to it where everyone could see them. But then it turned out that they also had smartphones either on their laps, in their bags lying next to them or bulging out of their pockets which the vigilance team spotted.

“Okay, you saw my smartphone, but did you see me using it? I wasn’t using it,” one candidate argued.

“That is because you had already used it for solving most of your paper, son,” the vigilance committee member replied. “But don’t worry, we’ll recommend to the board to give you marks for the paper you were able to solve before we took your answer book from you,” he informed him while returning the youngster his phone and telling him to go back and sit down in the hall.

The staff of the examination centre who seemed as worried as the candidates caught, said that their centre was in a locality where they just can’t be too tough with the candidates. “Please don’t blame us for this mess. We are already dealing with loadshedding issues, no proper drinking water facilities, etc. Look around you. This is a very sensitive area. Almost every boy has some source. We have to stay and work here, too — we can’t exercise our powers. It would be better that you recommend to the board to just don’t make this place an exam centre,” one staff member pleaded with the vigilance team.

Speaking to Dawn, Engr Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui, who heads one vigilance team, said he has seen all kinds of cheating going on in technical board exams and most polytechnic institutions are only money-making businesses. “They have no laboratories, workshops or training facilities. All they do is charge hefty fees. And there is extra or optional fee of around Rs2,000 for helping candidates during exams like substituting them with someone else at the last minute or arranging for cheating by paying the invigilators.” he said.

Abdul Qayyum Khan, another vigilance team member, said that the age limit in technical education for daytime students is 22 years and for evening it is 35 years. “You can request a relaxation of 10 years but we find overage students here taking exams without the relaxation certificates. On further investigation we find the person isn’t even the one supposed to be taking the exam. He’s an impersonator!” he said.

Both vigilance team members seemed appalled by the prevalent cheating and copying culture. “The standard of our technical education diplomas cannot go up in such an atmosphere. The SBTE from where polytechnic institutes get themselves affiliated and the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority [STEVTA] with whom they register themselves should cancel their affiliation and also the registration of such institutions whose candidates are constantly getting caught cheating in their exams,” they recommended.

Meanwhile, the Controller of Exams at SBTE, Zaheeruddin Khan, responsible for forming three vigilance teams known as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, said he is glad the teams, at least, are doing their job and making good progress. “My chairman and I really want to see an end to this culture of cheating. Candidates cheat because they know nothing and are not prepared to take exams. My vigilance teams are exposing all the wrongdoings during exams. Meanwhile, like we have formed vigilance teams, I hope STEVTA forms its teams also to send out to check the quality of teaching at the various polytechnic institutes here.

“There has to be some reason why our diplomas are seen as worthless pieces of paper abroad. At the moment, even that kid apprenticing with an ustad knows more than the technicians passing out of our polytechnic institutions,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2015

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