LOWER DIR: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Malakand, on Tuesday asked students not to pay any heed to rumours about any further delay in holding of the examinations for grade 9 to 12.

Talking to mediapersons in Chakdara here, controller of examinations Mian Wazir Jan said the examinations would be held as per schedule. He said the board had finalised arrangements for holding the examinations from grade 9 to 12.

He said a total 110,000 were appearing in secondary school certificate and 60,000 in higher secondary school certificate examinations, this year. The official said 440 examination centres had been set up for the SSC and 245 for HSSC examinations. He said examinations for the 10th grade would commence from July 10 and 9th grade from July 27.

He said roll number slips had been dispatched to all the regular and private candidates. He said the board had appointed superintendents, deputy superintendents and supervisory staff for all the centres.

Wazir Jan said CCTV cameras had also been installed at the examination centres for keeping a check on cheating. He said the centres’ superintendents had been directed to strictly enforce Covid-19-induced standard operating procedures during examinations.

BUDGET FLAYED: The Jamaat-i-Islami’s Lower Dir Youth Wing president Yousaf Ali on Tuesday insisted the government had ignored the youths in the budget.

Talking to journalists in Timergara, he said no funds were allocated for the Dir Motorway, Gopalum Irrigation Channel and Chakdara-Chitral Expressway.

He said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf local lawmakers had been making tall claims that Dir Motorway and Gopalum Irrigation Channel had been included in the budget, but not a single penny had been allocated for them.

In another development, district health officer Dr Irshad Ali Rughani on Tuesday announced that a total of 79,703 children in 12 selected union councils would be vaccinated against measles, for which 145 teams had been formed.

Talking to reporters, he said Timergara, Khungi, Asbanr, Munjai, Rabat, Koto, Chakdara, Badwan, Gosum, Lal Qila, Samarbagh and Maskini union councils had been selected for the five-day anti-measles drive starting from July 5.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2021