QUETTA: For the first time in history, the students from poor and middle-class backgrounds have topped the matriculation examinations, marking a major shift from past trends where the children of bureaucrats and wealthy businessmen dominated top positions.
According to details, the top achievers include the son of a dispenser and the son of a driver, students with limited means but immense determination. Their achievement comes as a result of major reforms in the Balochistan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, where favoritism and influence, commonly known as “sifarish” have been systematically dismantled.
The education activists appreciated the provincial government and board leadership for removing the so-called “recommendation system” that previously undermined the merit in the education system. Many say that these recent successes are not just academic victories but a symbol of justice, equality, and hope for the youth of Balochistan.
However, this change has not come without resistance. Powerful elites—long accustomed to controlling outcomes—are reportedly uniting once again, this time to undermine the credibility and progress of the current system.
“There’s a visible backlash from the same old influential class, who cannot tolerate seeing children of poor households rise on merit,” a civil society member told reporters. “But the common people of Balochistan are firmly behind the Chief Minister, the Board Chairman, and this new direction.”
The statement also expressed hope that just as the transfer-posting mafias were dismantled in Balochistan’s administrative system, the days of the recommendation culture are numbered too.
The call from citizens is clear: the government must now take strong action against those trying to restore the old system, and ensure that merit, not money or connections, remains the foundation of opportunity in Balochistan.
