The Sindh government has decided to introduce modern technology and an international standard examination system across all educational boards in the province, with support from the Asian Development Bank. Universities and Boards Minister Muhammad Ismail Rahu held a meeting with representatives of the bank to discuss e-marking, digitalisation, and measures to build up the capacity of the province’s examination system, marking the latest step in a digital overhaul that has been underway across Sindh’s education boards since late last year.
Rahu told the Asian Development Bank delegation that e-marking is being introduced to replace the traditional paper based examination process, with proposals for the project to be presented to the Sindh cabinet for formal approval. He said IT experts will provide specialised training to staff involved in the marking process, while scanners, cutting machines, servers, and other modern equipment will be supplied to the boards under the initiative. Chairman of the Intermediate Board Karachi, Fakhr Muhammad Lakho, has been named focal person for the project, continuing his role in overseeing the digitalisation drive that began with a high level committee formed last year to manage the shift toward electronic examination processing across the province.
The Asian Development Bank’s involvement builds on an existing technical assistance framework it has extended to Sindh’s education sector, which has previously supported the provision of optical mark recognition systems intended to improve transparency, accuracy, and efficiency in examination grading across boards of intermediate and secondary education. Under that broader assistance, hundreds of board assessors and staff were expected to receive training in exam development and data analysis, laying groundwork that the current e-marking push now aims to build upon with more advanced digital infrastructure.
Sindh’s educational boards have been moving toward e-marking in phases since the 2026 examination cycle began, with Karachi, Larkana, Sukkur, and Shaheed Benazirabad boards adopting varying degrees of digital assessment for matriculation and intermediate papers. Each exam paper under the system carries a unique QR code that allows digital scanning, with different teachers assigned to mark different sections of the same paper to reduce the risk of bias or error, an approach officials say has already begun improving fairness and transparency in the province’s exam results. The Federal Board of Education has also supported the rollout by sharing e-marking software, scanning tools, and marking criteria with Sindh’s boards as part of a coordinated national effort backed by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen.
The latest engagement with the Asian Development Bank signals an expansion of this digital transformation beyond marking alone, with officials aiming to build a more comprehensive, internationally aligned examination system covering online enrolment, digital result processing, and certificate verification. As the province continues to face challenges around infrastructure and resources in its education sector, the involvement of an international development partner is expected to help accelerate the pace at which Sindh’s boards can adopt the equipment and training needed to fully operationalise electronic marking and results processing in the coming academic cycles.
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