Cambridge papers stolen,not leaked, IBCC tells NA education committee

Cambridge examination papers have reportedly been leaking for the past three years, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education was told during a meeting on Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV.

Committee Chairman Anjum Aqeel Khan questioned how long the Cambridge papers had been leaking, prompting the Executive Director of the Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) to confirm that similar incidents had been reported over the past three years.

A committee member raised concerns over the source of the leaks, saying the papers were not being leaked from London but from Pakistan.

Briefing the committee, the IBCC executive director said immediate steps were taken after a paper was leaked on April 29. Cambridge was contacted through email and asked to reschedule two cancelled papers again within the same examination series to protect students from being affected.

The official said the Ministry of Interior was also approached and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) was directed to investigate the matter. However, the agency reportedly concluded that the papers had not been leaked from Pakistan.

Cambridge has acknowledged that the incident affected candidates in 80 countries and awarded average marks to candidates in two affected papers, according to the IBCC briefing.

The IBCC has also constituted an inquiry committee headed by Director General Usman Khan to examine the matter.

Meanwhile, Cambridge is preparing special examination papers for Pakistan, which will be sent to the country through email shortly before the examination, the committee was told.

The IBCC official said Cambridge's stance was that the papers had been stolen rather than leaked.

The meeting also discussed the financial affairs. The committee was informed that 10 boards are approved by the IBCC and called for an audit report of examination fees collected in pounds and dollars.

The IBCC executive director said the organization had previously not been paying taxes in Pakistan but had now been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

Reporter: Bilal Niyazi