Panel seeks swift A-Level leak probe

Directs authorities to resolve matter before July 21

---

---

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday directed the relevant authorities to expedite the investigation into the alleged leakage of Cambridge A-Level examination papers and ensure that the matter is resolved before July 21.

The panel, chaired by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, expressed concern over the issue during its meeting held at parliament.

In May, the Cambridge International Education (CIE) confirmed the leak of an AS-level Mathematics exam paper, and announced the postponement of another Mathematics paper.

Students who appeared for an AS-level Mathematics paper claimed that the paper they received was identical to a solved paper they had come across on social media just a day earlier.

Earlier, the AS Level Mathematics exam (9709/12), conducted on April 29, was also subject to similar claims.

During the meeting, the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) informed the committee that it had shared the available evidence with Cambridge Assessment and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for investigation and appropriate action.

The chair directed that letters be issued to the relevant authorities, urging them to expedite the investigation and ensure that the matter is resolved before July 21.

The committee was briefed on the issue of degree attestation for graduates of unauthorised campuses of PIMSAT, the University of South Asia, Lahore, and NICE, Karachi.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) informed the meeting that it had approved 4,383 of around 6,000 affected students for consideration for degree attestation.

The meeting was informed that an online facility had been introduced to streamline the degree attestation process, while the chairperson directed the relevant authorities to present a detailed report at the next meeting on the number of degrees attested through the system.

The committee also deliberated on the long-pending issue of non-attestation of degrees awarded by Al-Khair University.

The meeting was further informed that the commission had planned to conduct a test before verifying the students' degrees, but the examination has yet to be held.

The panel directed the HEC to resolve the issue by adopting the policy previously applied in the case of Global University, Lahore, and submit a comprehensive report within 10 to 15 days.

Expressing serious concern over the prolonged delay, the chairperson observed that HEC had shown negligence in resolving the matter for several years.

She said it would be unreasonable to require individuals who completed their studies years ago to sit an examination at this stage.

The body emphasised the need for an expeditious and fair resolution of the issue to safeguard the academic and professional interests of the affected students.

The HEC also briefed the committee on its plagiarism policy, stating that the permissible level of plagiarism varies across disciplines, with the maximum allowable limit set at 19 per cent. It further informed the committee that Turnitin software is used to detect and assess plagiarism in academic research.