The Punjab Boards Committee of Chairman (PBCC) convened an urgent meeting to address examination practices in the province and tackle illegal activities in the education sector.
The chairpersons of all nine Punjab boards chaired the meeting, aiming for a unified approach to exam transparency. Chaired by the higher education secretary and the PBCC chairman in the provincial capital, this meeting responded to recent discoveries of misconduct in the Matric (Class-9) Annual Examinations 2024.
Surprise inspections by Punjab’s School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat and BISE Lahore Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa uncovered irregular appointments at certain examination centres. These findings highlighted extensive cheating, prompting a serious response from the government. A cabinet committee led by Provincial Minister Bilal Yasin investigated these breaches, and it extended the concern to other districts.
The PBCC approved several strategies to refine examination protocols following the committee’s recommendations. Key decisions included prohibiting private invigilators, avoiding examination centres in narrow locations, and opting for schools, colleges, and halls for examinations. Furthermore, the education secretary introduced water-marked question papers to prevent leaks and mandated stern actions against cheating and negligence.
The proposal to make the school education secretary a permanent PBCC member was also agreed upon.
 Annual Examinations 2024, the Punjab Boards Committee of Chairman (PBCC) has introduced rigorous measures to ensure transparency and integrity in the province's examination system.){kind=link}