The latest application of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) is just ridiculous. The ban on sharing past study material is indeed a direct attack on teachers and young students. The move is likely to meet strong disapproval from within the community. This will set a dangerous precedent. Some might even consider it an attempt to tighten control over knowledge itself.

The Lahore education board, BISE, recently made a bizarre decision to crack down on past papers, pairing schemes, and guess papers, treating them as if they were classified documents or leaks of upcoming exams. The notification issued in this regard completely ignores the fact that these are just past papers and a long list of important questions.

It would be shameful for society to see students getting booked for trying to prepare for their exams using past papers. This dangerous overreach must be checked before the authorities start treating WhatsApp study groups as organized criminal networks

However, believing these ‘guesses’ to be denting the integrity of the examination system is just rash. Instead of fixing the defective system in which exam questions are predictable and repetitive, authorities have chosen the lazy route. A more rational approach would have been to overhaul the current assessment method, but that would require effort and commitment.

Even more absurd is how PECA has been invoked to equate normal academic practice with crimes like hacking, identity theft, and online harassment. It would be shameful for society to see students getting booked for trying to prepare for their exams using past papers. This dangerous overreach must be checked before the authorities start treating WhatsApp study groups as organized criminal networks.

Banning past study material is the worst possible approach the authorities could come up with. In addition, the precedent this latest rule sets is even more concerning. Threatening teachers and students with fines and prison terms would not help promote conceptual knowledge in an education system that has thrived on rote learning.

The BISE notification invoking PECA, issued just a day before the start of Class 9 examination, appears to be an attempt to control what information the people can access. However, it is unlikely to serve the purpose. Past papers will not disappear, and students will still find ways to get hold of them. Conversely, the ban might backfire and spark resentment. Authorities must realize that exam leaks do not come from teachers or students but from board employees. Rather than scapegoating soft targets, authorities must focus on identifying and plugging loopholes.