It was finally our annual exam of grade 9th of Balochistan Board. We were stuck somewhere between a sense of excitement and nervousness as it was the very first time to prove ourselves in such a huge platform. It was a test for us and for our institute. More apparently, it was the moment to pen down our knowledge on the pages. The feeling of nervousness was because of appearing in the board exam under the supervision of external vigilators for the first time. We, the students, were all in panic to attempt the board exam because we were used to give the assessments through a semester system in Delta School.
Perhaps, the fact that all other students, (Except Deltians) appearing in the matriculation exams of Balochistan were determined to cheat, but the true art lies in appearing on a paper with your knowledge, not the material provided at that given moment. Meanwhile, cheating was a curse for Deltains and Delta does not give its students a slight chance to cheat. One month before the board exams, Delta School conducts mock exam of its students.
Before our batch, our seniors appeared for 10th exams. And to our surprise, the experience that they shared about the ill-behavior of Examination Superintendent (E.S) after their first paper was unpredictable. The impact of rude behaviour of E.S spread widely and immediately in everyone’s mind. A certain inconvenience entered our lungs and coursed through our veins. And the day approached when it was our first paper. We were settled in the examination hall in the morning with parents’ blessings and teachers’ motivation. The installed CCTV cameras in examination hall, in which we could be watched online at anytime, were the solid proofs. We tried to get rid of all stress, kept ourselves relaxed and focused on the papers. However, as soon as we were handed over the answer sheets, the superintendent turned the peace of our minds into chaos.
First of all, the front page of the answer sheets had to be filled, requiring official information. This seemed a little complicated. The mock examination has already guided us the pattern of paper filling. However, some of our class-fellows faced problems while filling it. When they asked the superintendent for instructions, he refused – as principal predicted he would.
Moreover, the majority of superintendents have made the matriculation the source of earning through illegal means. The superintendent opted the same mindset but he failed, due to which he intentionally created chaos. Whereas, the case in our school was different, we needed neither compromises to cheat, nor any illegal help. For Last nine years, Delta School has been conducting clear exams with no concept of cheating. However, the behaviour of the superintendent continued throughout our papers; he scolded the students for no reasons. He used to snatch the papers of the students if any student wanted to ask a question. Fear and panic blanked our minds.
During one of our papers, he got more toxic. It felt as if he had finally found reasons to take revenge of a mysterious enmity. This tensed our parents and teachers too. The exam controller paid a visit to the school and was acknowledged about that alarming issue. Embarrassingly, he was angry for not getting a luxurious place to stay in, not getting pick-up and drop-off facility, grand feasts and on top for not being paid additional amount by the principal. Previously, he had witnessed his thirst for money. As one of our classmates had committed a mistake about her roll number, and she requested that for rectification. What the superintendent demanded in return showed the worst type of mentally and extreme greed of a man. He ordered the students to buy them juices, only then they could solve the problems in her papers. To illustrate, exams are considered more about their source of earning than a deal of knowledge.
Similarly, another incident occurred as officially and legally calculators are allowed in Board Exams but the superintendent did not allow the use of calculator even, calling it a cheating tool. This tensed us even more and wasted much of our time. Undoubtedly, we needed calculators to solve the puzzles of logarithms as much as a drowned man needed to breathe. It turned everyone suffer until the deputy superintendent finally ordered him to permit calculators on the basis of official rules and principles. And the same thing continued during the physics paper with his stubborn attitude of not allowing us to use calculators.
Hence, the exam of grade 9th ended which has became a milestone for all my fellows. Government need to ensure the examiners are honest with their assigned duties. In most cases, the examiners, coming from other cities, demand extra money – which is mostly taken by students while giving them their roll number slips – so as to arrange his stay and other facilities. If he had come for a governmental job, it is the government’s responsibility to manage accommodation and other facilities, not of the students. We hope things get better in future.