PESHAWAR, Pakistan: When the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) government took office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013, it promised revolutionary changes in the education sector.
The pledge, nevertheless, appears to have culminated in chaos—at least for the 130,000 students of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar (BISEP)—following a couple of recent steps that have left the pupils in the lurch.
Sudden policy shift
The BISEP administration—currently headed by a bureaucrat, Peshawar Commissioner, rather than an educationist—announced the introduction of a concept-based examination pattern just a couple of months before the intermediate final examinations. In addition, it restricted students from sitting their exams in their own schools.
This year, more than 500,000 students across eight educational boards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are appearing for the intermediate examinations.
Of these, 130,000 students—including over 46,000 girls—are registered with the BISEP, which administers examinations in six districts: Peshawar, Charsadda, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Mohmand and Khyber tribal districts.
Parents bear the brunt
At the start of this year’s examination—a working mother Shaista (not her real name as she wants her identity protected), in Peshawar—found herself caught in a struggle she had not anticipated.
Her daughter was assigned an examination centre far across the city—nowhere near her school or home.
I had to take leave from work just to make sure she got there on time. And then I waited outside in the scorching sun—no shade, no place to sit. Is this how cheating is supposed to be prevented — by punishing the parents?” – Shaista, a working mother in Peshawar.
“I had to take leave from work just to make sure she got there on time,” Shaista tells WE News English.
“And then I waited outside in the scorching sun—no shade, no place to sit. Is this how cheating is supposed to be prevented — by punishing the parents?”
Disrupting cheating networks
Sources at the BISEP informed WE News English that it has designated 420 examination centres and deployed 4,500 staff, through a digital balloting process to ensure transparency.
For better control, 43 examination clusters have been created, each consisting of 10 to 12 colleges within a three-kilometre radius.
Within each cluster, 10 to 15 examination halls are operational, accommodating around 200 students per centre.
Students from these clusters have been intermixed in an effort to disrupt organised cheating networks.
To eliminate widespread cheating, especially in private institutions, the Board implemented a policy of assigning students to mixed examination centres, which in practice, placed many students—particularly girls—at significant inconvenience.
Jawad Ahmed—a father of two daughters appearing in the intermediate examination—shares the same concerns.
Originally hailing from Karak—a southern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa located 141 kilometres from Peshawar—his daughters’ study in a state-run degree college in Peshawar and live in the hostel.
Had the examinations been held at their own college, Ahmed would not have had any reason to worry.
But with the new policy assigning students to centres away from their institutions, he has been forced to travel to Peshawar himself to accompany his daughters to an examination hall far from the hostel.
When students are suddenly placed in unfamiliar examination halls, it disrupts their mental equilibrium. Such abrupt changes can trigger stress-related disorders like conversion disorder.” – Naina Samson, child psychologist.
“It is not just an examination—it is an ordeal, not only for the students but for the entire family,” says Ahmed, visibly weary from the routine.
Unwelcome official visits
Numerous reports of district officials, including assistant commissioners, entering examination halls unannounced, have also emerged.
A senior teacher notes that the officers’ presence during the examination, not only undermines their confidence but also disrupts the examination environment.
A Peshawar-based child psychologist, Naina Samson, agrees with the teacher.
She explains that when students are suddenly placed in unfamiliar examination halls, it disrupts their mental equilibrium. Just like a child who struggles to adjust to a new teacher, the same applies to new halls and staff.
“Such abrupt changes can trigger stress-related disorders like conversion disorder. Sudden surprise visits by officials may seem routine, but significantly damage students’ focus, memory retention, and confidence.”
Chaos over conceptual change
The changeover to a concept-based examination system has also raised broad anxiety among students, parents, and teachers alike.
What was meant to be a move towards academic improvement soon degenerated into disarray and frustration, as pupils found themselves grappling with issues they found strange and unrelated to their syllabus.
Prof. Zilakat Khan, former head of the Economics Department at the University of Peshawar, puts it this way: “The intention behind conceptual examination is academically sound, but it becomes unfair when students and teachers aren’t adequately prepared. Without groundwork, it breeds anxiety and resentment.”
The intention behind conceptual examination is academically sound, but it becomes unfair when students and teachers aren’t adequately prepared. Without groundwork, it breeds anxiety and resentment.” – Prof. Zilakat Khan, University of Peshawar.
Likewise, Dr. Younas Khan, a professor at the Islamia College Peshawar, warns against implementing conceptual exams at the eleventh hour.
“Concept-based assessments require systemic preparation and training for both students and teachers. Introducing them without orientation is like changing the rules of the game midway. It demoralises even the best-performing students.”
Nasrullah Khan—the recently-retired chairman of the BISEP who was replaced by Peshawar Commissioner—also expresses reservations about the mixed centre policy: “It places unnecessary strain on both students and parents.”
Instead, he adds, I proposed changing the examination staff and training teachers to build students’ creative thinking, so they can handle Student Learning Outcome (SLO)-based examination without resorting to pocket guides.
But he hastens to clarify that the successful implementation of the SLO programme requires “teacher training and student readiness—not abrupt logistical shifts.”
Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsud, who now oversees the BISEP, defends the measures. “We created clusters of nearby colleges, sending students to different institutions to break the cheating networks.
Private colleges often collaborated with staff to facilitate cheating. This system reduces that risk.”
He denies claims of out-of-syllabus content, saying that 40 per cent content in the papers is concept-based.
