Karachi matric exams postponed as thousands of students left without admit cards

Matriculation examinations in Karachi have been postponed following administrative failures that left thousands of students without admit cards just days before the start of the exams. The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) announced that the exams, originally scheduled to begin on April 7, will now start on April 10 under a revised timetable. The Grand Alliance of Private Schools Associations had called for a postponement of at least one week, citing “chaotic arrangements” by the board. Officials said the decision was taken “in the best interest of students” after technical issues with the board’s online portal prevented the timely issuance of admit cards. Students and school administrations reported widespread difficulties accessing the portal, with many encountering error messages. In several cases, schools that managed to download documents reported that the number of admit cards issued was incomplete. More than 350,000 candidates are expected to sit the exams across the city, and many students remained unaware of their assigned examination centres even a day before the original start date. According to a board spokesperson, the admit cards were supposed to be uploaded online by Saturday evening. However, delays persisted, causing confusion among both public and private schools. In a statement issued on Sunday, BSEK advised schools unable to download admit cards to send representatives with authority letters to collect them in person from the board’s office. The disruption comes amid internal administrative challenges within the board. Outgoing Controller of Examinations, Ziaul Haq, reportedly remained inactive since March 16 following disagreements with the board chairman, bringing exam preparations to a halt. A replacement official from the Larkana board was appointed only four days before the exams. The examination cell handed over the admit card uploading process to the IT cell just three days prior, making it impossible to upload over 350,000 admit cards within such a short timeframe. Haider Ali, a representative of the private schools alliance, condemned the situation, saying it had turned the examination process into “a mockery of education.” “A large number of schools’ admit cards could not be uploaded on the portal. The future of 350,000 students should not be jeopardised for one person’s false prestige and personal ego,” he added.