KARACHI, July 14: The Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, has once again warned the secondary schools affiliated with it that in no case would they be encouraged to have links with other education boards for examination purposes. To support its stance, the BSE on Thursday also issued a copy of the resolution adopted at a meeting of the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC), which dealt with the issue of affiliation of schools and colleges with the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB).

When contacted, the BSE chairman, Brig (Retd) Shafi Ullah Qureshi, said that apart from the IBCC resolution at its Jan 3, 2005 meeting, it was very much obvious in the light of the BSE charter, approved by the provincial assembly in the 70s and in vogue for all practical purposes so far, that no educational institution in the Karachi region would be granted dual affiliation as far as the matriculation system of examination was concerned.

He said the board had been observing the said legal provisions for long, adding that if any of its affiliated institutions resorted to having affiliation with other educational boards they would not be in a position to continue its relationship with the BSE. While on the other hand, the status of its candidates taking the BSE exams would also stand annulled automatically.

He categorically stated that moves by schools for dual affiliations would be considered contradictory to rules. There was no room for relaxation unless certain amendments in the rules were sought and consequently passed by the Sindh Assembly, he added.

Brig Shafi claimed that in the maiden meeting of the AKU-EB’s directors held Monday last, while representing the IBCC chairman, he had already pointed out to the participants that the list of schools selected for affiliation with the AKU-EB included a good number of those, which were located in Karachi and affiliated with the BSE. And, that needed attention of the new board.

To a question, he said that in the given provisions, schools affiliated with his board could be at liberty of simultaneously joining the BSE and AKU-EB only when they developed an entire new system of schooling for a new and separate certificate examination, otherwise they would have to sit as losers as far as his board was concerned.

In the meantime, the BSE has forwarded the copies of the IBCC resolutions on affiliation of schools to the Sindh governor, who is the controlling authority of the board, the Sindh education secretary, the EDO Education, and all heads of recognized secondary schools of Karachi region.

The extract of resolution No 7 of the 107th meeting of the IBCC as received at the BSE and circulated for information, in verbatim, is as follows:

i) The proposal of the AKU-EB to the effect of dual affiliation of schools and colleges is not in the national interest and is not agreed to.

ii) Govt schools and colleges legally cannot be placed under AKU-EB vis-à-vis affiliation with it, AKU-EB being a private board.

iii) AKU-EB will be encouraged/ extended help to affiliate schools and colleges conducting ‘O’ and ‘A’ level and thereof save foreign exchange of Pakistan.

iv) AKU-EB may affiliate any private institute willing to go into its fold.

v) AKU-EB being a private Board should tap private students and hold examination for them. Further, AKU-EB should preferably establish/set up study centres with library and laboratory facilities in the provincial capitals for the private students to facilitate their preparation for examinations.

Insiders in the BSE said that some schools were planning to send their cream students to the AKU-EB for SSC exams, and retaining the remaining to take exams conducted by the BSE.

That was neither in the fitness of things nor in line with claims made so far that private boards were aiming at improving the quality of education in the country, they said.