PESHAWAR: The e-marking system introduced by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Mardan for English, Chemistry and Physics papers has come under scrutiny after answer sheets were allegedly checked manually instead of through the computerized system.
The board had introduced the e-marking system under which students’ answer scripts were to be scanned and assessed through a computerized mechanism. Special answer booklets were also prepared for the purpose, with sources claiming that each booklet cost around Rs170.
According to sources, around 170,000 students appeared in the matriculation examinations, while approximately 100,000 students took the intermediate examinations conducted by the Mardan Board. The cost of preparing the special answer booklets has consequently raised questions among students and parents about the overall expenditure incurred on the project.
The sources said that the board administration failed to effectively implement the computer-based marking system, resulting in answer scripts being checked manually. The board administration, however, maintained that the answer scripts were being cross-checked. Despite this explanation, sources said answer scripts were found carrying tick marks made by hand with ballpoint pens rather than markings generated through the computerized e-marking process, raising questions about the actual implementation and effectiveness of the system.
The alleged failure to operationalize the e-marking system has also raised questions about the expenditure incurred on the project and the additional amount reportedly collected from students for the purpose.
Students, parents and members of the education community questioned why additional charges were collected from students in the name of e-marking if the answer scripts were ultimately assessed manually.
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