The e-marking project at the matric and inter level in Sindh has been stalled once again

Karachi: The plan of the Department of School Education Sindh to implement the “e-marking and OMR” system at the matriculation and intermediate levels in the government education boards of the province has once again hit a deadlock.

For this year 2024, e-marking and OMR will not be introduced even in the matriculation and intermediate annual examinations, which will start in a few days. has been done but this machinery is locked in boxes.

The staff has not been trained to use the machinery and the teachers have not been trained for paper moderation / paper setting, while in Sindh matric exams have started from May 7 and inter exams will start from May 28.

It is also being told that the relevant machinery has been provided to the Education Board by the School Education Department of the Government of Sindh in such a small number that after its activation, e-marking can be done only for the results of a few hundred students. will

It is being told that only one server has been provided to Inter Board Karachi so far, similarly Matric Board Karachi has been given two or three scanners and printers, a server and some cameras while Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Hyderabad has also been given. Very few machines are given.

It should be noted that only the matriculation board Karachi prepares the results of 9th and 10th of more than 3.5 lakh students in the annual examinations every year, more than 1 lakh students take the matriculation and inter examination under the Hyderabad Board, while only about 1.5 lakh All students take the exam under Intermediate Board Karachi.

When contacted by “Express”, Acting IT Manager of Higher Secondary Education Board Karachi Arif Jalbani said that they have received some machines, maybe some more will be received soon, but he said that he did not remember how much hardware was received at that time. .

An officer of the Inter Board said that this time the board will not give MCQs on OMR sheet but MCQs are going to be hidden on plain paper because the board does not have any kind of OMR checking or e-marking. There is no manual and no training has been given to the teachers and employees in this regard.

He said that MCQs were given on OMR sheet for at least two years but it was checked manually in the traditional way.

It should be noted that during the caretaker government in Sindh, for the 2024 matriculation and inter annual examinations, the supply of the mentioned machinery was started to the official education board of the province in relation to e-marking, but this supply remained incomplete and lakhs of students taking the exam The required number of machinery could not be given to the boards.

There has been no training on the use of the machinery provided and the equipment is adorning the IT or storerooms of the Boards while the Department of School Education in this regard allegedly initiated with the support of the Asian Development Bank. A separate office has been formally established in Clifton Karachi for the project and named as “Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project”.

The planners of this project were supposed to provide training to teachers of paper setters/paper moderators at matric and intermediate level and technical training to the KIT staff but the project got delayed and now it is said that from May 6 Karachi I am starting the training of teachers paper moderators/setters attached to some education boards which will not be applicable for the exams starting in few days of this year.

It should be noted that in the meeting held about a week and a half ago in the presence of the Sindh Education Minister and the Minister of Universities and Boards to review the preparations for the annual examinations in Sindh, there was an echo of starting e-marking in Sindh, but the relevant ministers were not told about it. It is said that currently no preparations have been made in this regard.

Meanwhile, the chairman of a board in Sindh said that the machinery that has been given to us is like cumin in the camel’s mouth, the number of our students in matriculation and inter exams is more than one lakh, what can we do with a few scanners? .

In this regard, “Express” also contacted the head of Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project, Rizwan Soomroo, and tried to find out the reason for the delay in the project. is scheduled and not delayed, equipment has been delivered and training is being given.

When he was asked if he could share any document in this regard, on which he could not share any document, however, he said that the ADP website should be seen, he was also asked about the hardware of the boards. Why is the supply going slowly and in very small quantity to which they did not receive an answer.