Government Initiates Special Audit of Education Boards

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised serious concerns over the financial and operational transparency of seven school boards across the province. In response to allegations of financial irregularities and unclear performance metrics, the PAC has called for a special audit. This audit will thoroughly examine financial expenditures, discrepancies, and the grading processes from 2022 to 2024. The investigation is expected to be completed within four months.

The PAC met on Tuesday in the committee room of the Sindh Assembly and reached the decision there. The meeting was chaired by PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro and was attended by committee members Sadia Javed, Khurram Karim Soomro, and Javed, as well as prominent officials such as Abbas Baloch, secretary of universities and boards, and the chairmen of education boards.

Additionally, the committee expressed concern with school board management, noting multiple instances of financial misconduct.

Chairman Khuhro voiced his disapproval of the boards’ functioning and brought attention to the mounting concerns regarding the possible manipulation of exam results. The accusations of “paying for marks” have damaged the boards’ reputation, he continued.

“The boards are accused of awarding A+ marks for money, but this practice will only lead to failure when students sit for entry tests,” said Khuhro. In spite of the Sindh government’s effort to make education free up to the intermediate level, he said, the boards’ alleged malpractices have undermined both the quality of instruction and the reliability of test scores. The boards’ legitimacy is still under scrutiny, even though the government spends Rs2 billion yearly on test fees.

Call for Strict Oversight and Accountability

The committee will not compromise on educational standards, according to Khuhro, because the future of the youth is at risk. “Just as Gorakh Hill underwent a special audit, we will ensure the same transparency for education boards,” according to him.

PAC member Khurram Karim Soomro brought up the problem of result manipulation when he spoke out against Amir Qadri, who had been removed as chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) after being accused of changing first-year results. In addition to wanting an update on how the probe was going, Soomro wanted some explanation on how the boards were graded.