Pakistan, April 20 -- In Lower Dir, exam officials raided halls only to find a government schoolteacher arrested for solving papers during the ongoing secondary school certificate examinations, underscoring how institutions tasked with preserving merit are under siege. Nearby, in a private school, suspects were caught red-handed solving question papers before the scheduled time with the help of subject experts.

Almost four million students appear in secondary and higher secondary exams each year across 30 boards. These exams, meant to measure a child's progress, now resemble a system where access matters more than ability. Papers circulate on WhatsApp. "Booti mafias" charge as little as Rs 1,000 per student for leaked papers and access t...