Mirpurkhas Board Faces Delays in Matric and Intermediate Results Due to Financial Crisis

The Mirpurkhas Education Board is grappling with a severe financial crisis, exacerbated by the provincial government's lack of support. This financial instability is expected to cause significant delays in the announcement of Matriculation and Intermediate examination results.

Despite directives from the Minister of Universities and Boards to have results announced by September 15, the Mirpurkhas Board is unlikely to meet this deadline. The situation is worsened by the absence of key officials, including a permanent chairman, controller of examinations, secretary, and audit officer. Although the board is authorized to employ 70 staff members, it currently has 270 employees, putting further strain on its already stretched finances.

Compounding these issues, the provincial government has mandated that education boards cease collecting examination and enrollment fees from students in government schools and colleges, promising to cover these costs through government grants. However, these grants have been delayed and provided in incomplete installments, leaving the Mirpurkhas Board in a precarious financial situation.

The crisis has reached a critical point in Mirpurkhas, where teachers have not been compensated for grading answer sheets for several years. Consequently, many are now refusing to perform this essential task without payment.

An official from the board’s examination department highlighted that 95 percent of the board's students come from government institutions that do not pay fees. With no increase in examination and enrollment fees for nine years and rising costs for essential materials like printing paper, ink, and furniture, the board's expenses have surged.

Zulfiqar Shah, the acting chairman of the Mirpurkhas Education Board, has acknowledged the difficulties, citing the large staff numbers and delayed government grants as major obstacles. He assured that efforts are underway to secure the cooperation of the teaching community and aims to announce the Matriculation and Intermediate Pre-Medical exam results by the last week of September.