7,000 Students Declared Absent in Karachi Exams
More than 7,000 students declared absent in Karachi’s matriculation and intermediate examinations sparked a protest by parents and student groups, who demanded an independent inquiry and the public release of answer scripts.
The demonstration was organised by APMSO and the Student Parents Federation outside the Karachi Press Club. The protesters called on the Sindh government and the examination boards to account for the disputed results.
The 7,000 students declared absent in the results have become the centre of a dispute over how Karachi’s examinations are run. Parents at the protest said their children had sat the papers, yet the results showed them as absent. They demanded a review of the disputed results and corrective measures.
7,000 students declared absent: what parents want
APMSO Joint In-charge Sharjeel Baig accused the provincial government of neglecting Karachi’s education sector for the past 18 years. He cited deteriorating institutions, poor examination management and an alleged disregard for merit.
He also questioned the appointment of the matriculation board chairman, asking why an experienced professor had not been appointed to the post, and why an official from the technical colleges sector had been entrusted with the responsibility.
Baig demanded that the answer scripts of all students who had failed be made public and uploaded to the respective examination boards’ websites, so that students and parents could scrutinise the marking process. The protesters said that without the scripts, families had no way to check whether their children had been marked fairly.
The demand goes to the heart of how examination results are challenged in Pakistan. Boards allow rechecking, but the process is narrow: it usually covers the recounting of marks, not a fresh look at how answers were judged. Publishing the scripts would let families see the marking itself.
A student wing at the centre of the protest
The protest was organised by APMSO, the student wing of MQM-Pakistan, which the party disbanded earlier this week. The organisation has long been active in Karachi’s colleges and universities, and its leaders used the protest to raise wider complaints about the city’s education system.
Baig said Karachi’s institutions had been left to decline for nearly two decades, and that poor examination management was one result. Parents at the demonstration echoed that complaint, saying the boards owed them an explanation for how thousands of students who sat their papers could be recorded as absent.
Why the dispute matters for Karachi’s students
For the students marked absent, the result is more than a clerical error. An absent mark can cost a student a full academic year, since matriculation and intermediate results decide admissions to colleges and universities.
The dispute also comes at a time when Pakistan’s education system is under close scrutiny. Ninety Pakistani universities made the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, and the Higher Education Commission has formed a task force for national university rankings. Yet the Karachi protest shows that the problems begin much earlier, in school examinations.
Student welfare has also been in focus in Punjab, where the chief minister has directed deputy commissioners to visit colleges and brief students on government schemes. And Pakistan targets one million AI professionals by 2030. For the 7,000 students at the centre of this dispute, those ambitions will mean little unless their results are first put right.
What happens next
The protesters have asked the Sindh government and the examination boards to order an independent inquiry, review the disputed results, and publish the answer scripts of students who failed. No response from the boards had been reported by the time of publication.
If the boards agree to publish the scripts, it would be an unusual step. If they refuse, the dispute is likely to grow.
Tribune reported the protest on Friday.
Frequently asked questions
How many students were declared absent?
More than 7,000 students were marked absent in Karachi’s matriculation and intermediate examinations.
Who organised the protest?
The demonstration was organised by the All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation (APMSO) and the Student Parents Federation outside the Karachi Press Club.
What are the protesters demanding?
They want an independent inquiry, a review of the disputed cases, and the answer scripts of students who failed to be made public.
Why does an absent mark matter so much?
Matriculation and intermediate results decide college and university admissions. An absent mark can cost a student a full year.
What did APMSO say about the boards?
APMSO’s Sharjeel Baig questioned the matriculation board chairman’s appointment and accused the province of neglecting Karachi’s education sector for 18 years.
