KARACHI – No-go areas in the city have become a headache not only for the government but also for Board of Secondary Education Karachi, as the School Secondary Certificate (IX and X classes) annual examinations are going to be held from Monday (tomorrow) in the metropolis where the worst law and order situation is prevailing, The Nation has learnt here.
An official meeting was also held at the office of the Deputy Commissioner Dr Saif to review security measures taken for protection of the students and examination conduction staff during the worst law and order situation in the city. Officials of the matric board, police and rangers participated in the meeting.
As many as 3,17,407 candidates will participate in the IX and X classes annual examinations. The examination conducting authority BSEK has already demanded the government to take strict security measures to stop any mishap during the examinations. The provision of infallible security is need of the hour to save precious lives of the students, teachers and other staff in various towns of the city.
It is pertinent to mention here that in the high-level meeting held five days back at the office of Commissioner Hashim Raza Zaidi under his chair, as many as 48 examination centres have already been declared very sensitive during the matriculation examinations. In the meeting it was noted that as many as 48 examination centres in different towns of the metropolis were highly sensitive, where extra security arrangements, including deployment of more police and rangers contingents must be required in the prevailing law and order situation.
These sensitive centres include two centres for boys and one for girls in Keamari Town, 5 centres for boys and 3 for girls in Baldia Town, 4 centres for boys and 3 for girls in Orangi town, two centres for boys and one for girls in Lyari Town, one centre for boys in Jamshed Town, 3 centres for boys and one for girls in Shah Faisal Town, two centres for boys and two for girls in Landhi Town, 2 centres for boys and one for girls in Korangi Town, one centre for boys in North Nazimabad, one centre for boys in Liaquatabad, 2 centres for boys and one for girls in Malir, one centres for boys and one for girls in Bin Qasim Town and four centres for boys and 3 for girls in Gadap Town.
Talking to The Nation, BSEK Controller Examination Noman Ahsan said that as many as 223 examination centres had been set up in various towns of the city to accommodate candidates in the examinations. He said that examinations might be disturbed in the no go areas of the city, while the board will use its full strength to hold the examinations peacefully in the city. He said as many as 56 vigilance and 30 super vigilance teams had been set up to ensure transparency in the exams.
It is worth mentioning that the administration has decided that the rangers would patrol around these centres, besides additional deployment of police comprising of one police officer and four cops equipped with walky-talkies. However, at the non-sensitive centres, only two cops would be deployed.
There would be section-144 in the vicinity of exam centres and all photostat shops in the vicinity of exam centres would remain closed from night to 5:00pm in evening during the exam days. A control room would also be set up in the office of Commissioner Karachi to monitor the situation.