PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court PHC on Thursday turned down a request by the Kohat Board for an interim injunction against the transfer of private school examination halls to government schools for the upcoming matriculation exams.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Khursheed Iqbal heard the petition challenging the board’s decision to unify examination centres for both government and private schools. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the move disrupted the previous arrangement where private and government schools had separate examination halls.
Kohat Board Chairman Imtiaz Ayub defended the decision, stating that the board had the authority under the Boards Act to designate examination centres. He revealed that 319 halls had been set up in government institutions across five districts—Kohat, Kurram, Hangu, and Orakzai—to accommodate around 100,000 students.
Ayub claimed that many private institutions did not meet the required standards, leading to malpractices. “The cheating mafia operates systematically in private centres, even bringing in outsiders to take exams,” he said, adding that supplementary exams had previously been conducted in government halls without issue.
However, the petitioner’s lawyer countered that 70% of the examinees were from private schools, which had well-equipped facilities. He accused the board of failing to take action against alleged irregularities while still collecting fees from private institutions.
Justice Arshad Ali questioned whether the examination centres had been properly notified, to which the board chairman responded that the policy was announced two months ago and had been praised by the provincial government.
The court was also informed that the Chief Secretary had directed Assistant Commissioners to oversee the halls, a move the petitioner’s lawyer opposed. Justice Arshad Ali remarked, “We will not allow Assistant Commissioners to enter examination halls,” though the board’s counsel assured they would remain outside.
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After hearing arguments, the PHC dismissed the stay application, allowing the board to proceed with its examination arrangements.
