The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) is facing strong criticism over its handling of the Class IX results for the Science and General groups. More than 175,000 students have been left uncertain about their academic performance, as the board failed to issue subject-wise mark sheets alongside the results.
Announced last week, the results included only pass or fail status for each subject. Students were not informed of their actual marks or total score. According to BSEK, detailed mark sheets will not be available for at least two more weeks. This delay means students cannot calculate their overall percentage or assess their academic standing.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from students, parents, and educators. Many have compared BSEK’s approach to other examination systems, including Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) and Punjab’s education boards, which provide provisional mark sheets with full details immediately after results are announced.
Ironically, the announcement came just as Karachi’s education boards met to discuss digital reforms, including e-marking and the introduction of a new grading system. BSEK Chairman Ghulam Hussain Saho attended the meeting, highlighting plans for digital assessments. Yet the board’s failure to issue even basic digital mark sheets has cast doubt on these claims.
Sources say BSEK’s IT Manager Muhammad Irfan traveled to Islamabad with the chairman right after results were announced, leaving the new IT analyst, Sain Dad, without support or authority to address technical issues. Controller of Examinations Hamza Tagar, who has been in office for three months, acknowledged the problems.
“We are aware of the issues and are working to resolve them,” Tagar told The Express Tribune. “I have questioned the IT staff, and we are committed to ensuring that students will be able to access their marks within a week.”
Educationists say the incident is part of a larger pattern of mismanagement. Haider Ali, Chairman of the All Private Schools and Colleges Association, criticized the board’s handling. “In Punjab, students receive provisional mark sheets with subject-wise details right away. Here, even the total score is hidden — it’s completely unacceptable,” he said.
Further reporting revealed that the Class IX mathematics papers for the Science Group, which were meant to be assessed through e-marking, were manually checked instead. Although BSEK had invested millions in printing e-marking-compatible answer sheets, it failed to organize the necessary logistics or hire external evaluators.