KARACHI: Matriculation examinations in Karachi have been postponed after thousands of students were left without admit cards just days before the scheduled start. The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) announced that exams originally planned for April 7 will now begin on April 10 under a revised timetable.
The decision follows calls from the Grand Alliance of Private Schools Associations to delay the exams by at least a week, citing chaotic arrangements and administrative failures by the board. Officials said the move 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, encountering error messages or incomplete admit card downloads. Many schools were unable to verify exam centres for more than 350,000 candidates expected to sit the examinations across Karachi.
According to a board spokesperson, admit cards were supposed to be uploaded online by Saturday evening. However, delays persisted, causing confusion among both public and private schools. BSEK advised schools unable to download admit cards to send representatives with authority letters to collect them in person.
The disruption has been linked to internal administrative challenges. Outgoing Controller of Examinations Ziaul Haq reportedly remained inactive since March 16 due to disagreements with the board chairman, stalling exam preparations. A replacement official from the Larkana board was appointed only four days before the exams, and the admit card upload process was handed to the IT cell just three days prior, making it impossible to issue over 350,000 admit cards on time.
Haider Ali, a representative of the private schools alliance, condemned the situation, calling it a “mockery of education.” He said, “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.”
The revised schedule aims to ensure that students can receive their admit cards in time and sit exams without further disruption, while authorities work to address the technical and administrative gaps that caused the delay.
