Board of Secondary Education Karachi officials face graft inquiry over changes to exam centres

Karachi: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) is currently under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) due to allegations of corruption and irregularities surrounding the 2026 annual exams. The latest inquiry focuses on claims that board officials altered examination centers to favor certain private schools.

Previously, an investigation was launched into irregularities in the 2026 examination results, which alleged that board officials had tampered with results in exchange for bribes. The ACE has directed BSEK Controller of Examinations Ahmed Khan Chutto to provide the original records within two days and bring forth a well-informed officer to record statements.

The ACE has also requested a comprehensive record of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) annual examinations, particularly the procedures used for selecting and assigning examination centers, for comparison and analysis with the previous year's examinations. The board had originally designated 559 examination centers for the 2026 exams, but later cancelled 147 centers and established 117 new ones.

The ACE has been notified of approximately 72 requests from private schools and institutions for changes regarding examination centers. The ACE is demanding records pertaining to the cancelled centers, including cancellation dates and reasons, as well as details of the newly created centers, such as their dates of creation, justifications, candidate allocation, and physical capacities.

The ACE's actions stem from a departmental inquiry initiated by Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahu after allegations of mismanagement surfaced during the 2026 matriculation examinations. A high-level departmental committee, including the BSEK chairman Professor Musharraf Rajpoot, conducted an inquiry into senior officers' conduct and the functioning of the examination wing.

The committee held Dr Naveed Ahmed, then administrative secretary of BSEK, accountable for administrative negligence, non-compliance with board policies, and concealment of legal decisions, recommending departmental proceedings and assessing his fitness for continued employment. The committee criticized Controller of Examinations Ahmed Khan Chutto for changing examination centers without proper approval or justification shortly before exams.

The committee recommended his immediate suspension and initiated departmental proceedings under the Efficiency and Discipline rules. Former Controller Imran Tariq Butt, who has been suspended for about two years over allegations of altering examination results, was deemed a central figure in the examination-center controversy. The committee also recommended barring two assistant controllers from performing duties in the examination department for five years. The minister approved the departmental inquiry report and forwarded the matter to the ACE.