Failure of computerised examination system: HED chairman appointment, role of officials questioned

Appointment of Ahad Cheema as chairman Higher Education Department (HED) and role of different serving and former officers of Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs) came under question before judicial commission holding inquiry into failure of computerise examination system.
Chairman of Lahore BISE, Allah Buksh submitted that according to his inquiry, equipment worth Rs 200 million was bought from two different firms of accomplices of former IT consultant Majid Naeem, and responsible to establish full online examination system. He said no tenders were invited to buy the equipment.
At a query of the judge, Buksh said Ahad Cheema, then chairman of Higher Education Department, was appointing authority of Majid Naeem. He said appointment of Cheema was also made totally ignoring the rules and regulations. He was appointed as secretary when he was no eligible to be appointed as additional secretary. Responding to a query, Buksh said chief secretary forwarded summary, which was approved by Punjab Chief Minister for appointment of Cheema as secretary of HED.
Baksh said DCO Lahore Ahad Cheema, Dr Majid Naeem and his focal persona Bashir Ahmed, Chairmen, secretaries and controllers of examination of all BISEs are also responsible of the failure of the system. He requested the court to bar all these people from holding any public office. He recommended that 100 percent automations should be introduced but after making the staff capable. By that time automation and manual system should go side by side in all BISEs.
As the judge asked him that why the chairmen or other officials of the BISEs did not protest being fully aware of the failure of the system? Buksh said might they had lack of courage. He said as secretary of HED Cheema was appointing authority of all chairmen, how can they complain against his imposed person. At the end, Baksh said he was trying to declare revised results of intermediate part 1 on November 19.
However Chairman of the commission Justice Shahid Saeed ordered his registrar Additional District Judge Manzoor Hussain Dogar to write to NAB to produce accused former IT consultant of all eight BISEs for the online system,Dr Majid Naeem, before the commission on every date of hearing.
Suspended chairman of LBISE Muhammad Akram Kashmiri appearing before the commission said without making any solid plan, IT system was imposed upon them in haste. He said secretary HED and IT consultant were instruments through which the system was imposed. He said Intermediate Part 2 and matriculation results were prepared by Majid Naeem and the BISE employees jointly and there were no bulk of errors. But Intermediate Part 1 was solely prepared by Majid Naeem which he could not handle. He said his prepared plan was approved by Punjab Boards of Chairmen Committee (PBCC). He said he time and again protested against the failure of the system.
At this Jusitce Shahid asked him whether he gave any written complaint in this regard? Kashmiri replied in negative. The judge said if you did not protested in writing, then, he was also the part of that game. Former LBISE controller, Dr Manzurul Hasan Niazi, appearing before the court said he knew mistakes in the system and protested at high level meetings but no one heard him. He also replied in negative as the judge asked him whether he informed authorities in writing. The judge remarked, "Your silence shows that you are equally responsible."
Former controller LBISE Sayed Ijaz Hussain Naqvi said on request of Akram Kashmiri, Majid Naeem took responsibility to fully computerise the system. He said it should have not been a one-man show. He said even to fill Face Page, which was key part of answer sheets for computerize marking, was not possible for students. He said it was a difficult method introduced for students having no knowledge about it. He said even teachers and BISEs officials were also not trained to deal with the system.
Chairman Rawalpindi BISE, Muhammad Qasim, said it seemed that people handling with computerise system were involved in wrong marking of the papers. He said as they are preparing manual results and numbers of most of the students are reducing.