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KARACHI: Despite repeated assurances and the enforcement of Section 144 around examination centers, Sindh once again failed to curb cheating during ongoing matriculation examinations, with reports of paper leaks and open academic misconduct emerging from multiple districts.
According to the sources, several annual exam papers were leaked before the start of exams in Larkana, Khairpur, Dherki, and Ghotki. In Larkana, the ninth-grade Sindhi language paper, administered by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Larkana, was reportedly leaked hours before the exam. The answers were circulated in a WhatsApp group created specifically to aid students in cheating.
A similar breach was reported in Khairpur, where the tenth-grade chemistry paper was leaked at 8:57 AM, moments before the exam began. Students were again seen sharing answers through WhatsApp groups.
Disturbingly, reports from multiple centers indicate that the use of mobile phones was not only rampant but also permitted by exam staff. In some cases, invigilators were allegedly complicit, allowing both male and female students to keep and use their phones inside exam halls. In Dherki’s Shah Latif Examination Hall, the staff were reportedly found actively helping students solve the chemistry paper.
Ghotki also experienced a pre-exam leak of the tenth-grade chemistry paper, marking yet another failure in maintaining the confidentiality of exam materials.
The situation in Shikarpur mirrored the rest of the province, where despite the implementation of Section 144, the ninth-grade Sindhi paper was leaked. These incidents have highlighted the entrenched influence of so-called “cheating mafias” operating in Sindh’s education system.
This is not the first time the province has faced such issues. Previous years have seen similar malpractice in Sukkur and Larkana, raising serious questions about the provincial education department’s ability or willingness to enforce exam protocols and protect the credibility of academic assessments.
Education experts and civil society members have called for immediate and comprehensive reforms to tackle these recurring problems. Many believe that without strict action against facilitators of cheating, both inside and outside examination halls, the future of thousands of students remains at risk.
As the exams continue, pressure mounts on the Sindh government and education boards to address the growing crisis and restore integrity to the system.
