Lahore Board Implements E-Marking for Class 9 Practical Exams to Curb Malpractices

Lahore Board Implements E-Marking for Class 9 Practical Exams to Curb Malpractices

The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore has officially introduced an e-marking system for Class 9th practical exams. This digital overhaul is designed to eliminate human intervention in award lists and ensure merit-based assessment for thousands of students across the Punjab province.

For decades, the evaluation of practical exams has been a point of contention, often plagued by allegations of favoritism and mismanagement. The Lahore Board’s new policy seeks to dismantle the old, opaque system by digitizing the marking process and introducing stringent surveillance measures.

Addressing the "Misuse of Marks"

The decision to shift to a centralized e-marking system comes in response to persistent complaints regarding the handling of practical examinations. Secretary of the Lahore Board, Rizwan Nazeer, confirmed that under the previous framework, examiners wielded unchecked authority over the grading process.

"Previously, examiners had full discretion over the 30 practical marks," Nazeer explained. "This complete autonomy, unfortunately, led to reports of mismanagement and misuse of marks."

To rectify these systemic issues, the board has moved decisively to strip examiners of unilateral grading power. The overhaul was initiated following direct directives from Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat and Chairman of the Lahore Board, Muzammil Mahmood.

How the New E-Marking System Works

The new methodology fundamentally changes how a student’s answer sheet is processed and evaluated. Rather than relying on a single examiner to grade an entire paper, the process has been fragmented to ensure anonymity and accuracy.

1. Introduction of "E-Sheets"

Students appearing for the theory portion of their practical exams will now write their answers on specially designed "E-sheets." These sheets feature fixed, allocated spaces for each question, which facilitates the subsequent digital processing.

2. Centralized Scanning and Segmentation

Once the examination is complete, the papers will be collected and transported to the board’s centralized marking center. Here, the sheets will be scanned. Instead of being treated as a single document, each paper will be digitally "clipped" or divided into individual question sections.

3. Remote Evaluation by Examiners

This is where the efficiency of the system comes into play. Examiners are no longer required to travel to physical marking centers. Instead, they will receive secure login IDs to access a dedicated portal. From the comfort of their homes, they will be assigned specific questions to grade—for instance, an examiner might only grade responses to Question 2 from 50 different students, rather than grading all the answers of 100 full papers.

4. Real-Time Monitoring

To ensure accountability, the board will monitor examiners in real time through camera supervision while they are logged into the marking portal. This ensures that evaluators remain focused and adhere to the marking scheme.

Laboratory Surveillance and Future Goals

In addition to reforming the marking system, the Lahore Board is also tightening security at the ground level. Surveillance cameras will be installed in laboratories where practical exams are conducted. This move is intended to prevent mismanagement during the actual performance of the practical tasks, ensuring that what happens in the lab is as transparent as the marking that follows.

Rizwan Nazeer emphasized that this is just the beginning of a broader digital transformation. The board has confirmed that the first annual ICS (Intermediate in Computer Science) exam paper across Punjab will also be evaluated using this e-marking methodology.

Benefits for Students and the Education System

The transition to e-marking offers multiple advantages over the traditional system:

• Enhanced Objectivity: By distributing questions randomly among examiners, the system prevents any single examiner from influencing a student’s overall score based on personal bias. An examiner grading only one question cannot identify which student they are marking, ensuring complete anonymity.

• Reduced Workload: Distributing specific questions (e.g., 10 or 50 responses) from multiple answer sheets reduces the monotony and workload for examiners, theoretically leading to higher accuracy.

• Swift Results: Digital processing and remote marking are expected to significantly reduce the time taken to compile and release results.

A Phased Rollout

While the e-marking system is being implemented immediately for Class 9 practical exams, the Lahore Board has outlined a roadmap for the future. According to the official statement, over the next two to three years, all examinations conducted by the board are expected to shift entirely to the digital marking system.

This phased approach allows the board to iron out any technical glitches and train both staff and examiners on the new protocol before scaling it to higher secondary and annual board exams. With this initiative, BISE Lahore positions itself at the forefront of educational technology reform in Pakistan, setting a precedent for other boards to follow in the quest for fair and transparent evaluation.