PESH AWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department on Wednesday directed officials of the district administration, tasked with visiting examination centres, not to carry weapons or guards to school premises.

It also stopped invigilators from uploading pictures and videos of the candidates, caught cheating, on social media platforms.

The instructions were issued throughtwo letters after social media criticism of officials carrying arms and personal guards to examination centres as well as the use of unfair means on the first day of SSC examinations.

On Tuesday, the Peshawar Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education shared a cheating video on social media from inside an examination hallin Khyber tribal district.

Commissioner of Peshawar Division Riaz Mehsud, who holds the additional charge of the board chairman, and several board officials were also seen monitoring the incident at the control room.

He took strict action against the candidate who was cheating and issued a warning to the examination staff.

Similarly, the pictures of officers of the district administration and their official guards inside the examination centres alsocirculated on social media, prompting criticism from educators and parents.

`I am directed to refer to the subject and to state that a part of ongoing efforts to ensure safe, secure and fearless environment to students within the examination hall during SSC annual examination 2025, it has been decided that officers deputed to visit examination centres may strictly be conveyed that carrying weapons or personal guards and gunners within the premises of school and examination halls in strictly prohibited,` read a letter issued by the education department to all divisional and deputy commissioners and chairmen of education boards in the province.

Another letter of the department, issued to education board chairmen, read, `I am directed to refer to the subject that several instances have come into the notice of thisdepartment wherein supervisory staff that conduct visits of examination centers/halls capture videos and stall images and later on share it on social media pages and accounts.

It added that the act was causing inconvenience to departments and distressing exam candidates.

The department directed all board chairmen to ensure that all those conducting supervisory visits of examination halls refrain from uploading any cheating videos and pictures on social media pages and accounts.

Sources told Dawn that the video of a student caught cheating had been removed from the board`s social media pages after social media backlash.

However, the video is still circulating on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the entire examination staffof Chagharmati Girls High School was suspended after the district monitoring officer reported their failure to stop the use of unfair means in the examination hall, according to a statement of Peshawar`s education board.

Also, all invigilators at the examination centres of the Islamia Model School Pandiali and Pandiali Model School in the Mohmand tribal district were suspended due to the presence of cheating materials as pointed out by the administrative officers.

The administration also arrested a person after seizing cheating material in a large quantity. The police booked him before beginning an investigation.

Invigilation staff members in other exam centres also faced action over failure to check the use of unfair means by candidates.