Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Ismail Rahoo on Thursday dismissed concerns that the provincial government was planning to bifurcate the University of Karachi, clarifying that the proposal under consideration merely sought to grant the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) the authority to award degrees -- a proposal that, he stressed, was “not final.”
Speaking at the meeting of the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) held at a hotel, the minister said that all stakeholders including the university’s faculty members, employees, donors and administration would be taken into confidence before any decision regarding the ICCBS was finalised.
He added that the draft bill had already been referred to the Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee to ensure broad consultation and to strengthen the institution rather than weaken it. The session was also addressed by IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah, Chairman Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Islamabad Dr Ikram Ali, and Chairman Board of Intermediate Education Karachi Faqeer Muhammad Lakho.
During the meeting, Dr Ikram Ali announced that the federal board would provide the e-marking system to all Sindh education boards. He said that training for exam controllers had already been completed. Lakho added that e-marking would be introduced for IX and XI classes’ examinations starting in the 2026 annual session.
The meeting was attended by chairpersons of education boards from across the country as well as Secretary Boards and Universities Abbas Baloch. Minister Rahoo said that adopting e-marking would help ensure transparency in examinations, adding that the current manual system caused unnecessary delays in the compilation of results. Several boards, he noted, had already begun e-marking for selected papers.
He stated that modern technology would be incorporated at every stage, from question-paper setting to evaluation, and that the boards’ operations would be aligned with contemporary digital systems. The minister further said that the recruitment of 70,000 to 80,000 teachers had been completed, while parallel efforts were being made to bring out-of-school children back into the education system.
Reiterating the government’s stance on Karachi University, Rahoo vowed that the Sindh government would not take any steps against the institution’s interests and that all stakeholders would be briefed after the law department finalised its opinion.
Responding to a question about the reappointment of Grade-18 officer Naveed Gujjar previously accused of harassing female employees as secretary of the Karachi Matric Board, the minister said he had not been aware of the matter. He directed Secretary Boards and Universities Abbas Baloch and the board chairman to complete the inquiry and take strict action if the allegations were proven.
He also noted that Sindh’s education boards had now received the e-marking system from the federal board and prledged that appointments of exam controllers and secretaries in Sindh’s boards would soon be made strictly on merit.
