The commission declared question paper, original answer key and the test answer sheet to of a student are public documents and should be provided to a student upon request.
The exemption from disclosure of original answer key and the question paper before the examination is justifiable to maintain integrity of the examination process. However, once the examination has been conducted, keeping in secrecy the original answer key, the question paper and the answer sheet serves no purpose. In fact, the disclosure of the original answer key, the question paper and the answer sheet will help students in identifying gaps for improvement.
The commission observed that students enrolled in public universities get access to subsidized education paid through the taxes of the citizens of Pakistan. As such, access to subsidized education through admissions in public universities is a privilege granted to successful candidates. Hence, citizens have the right to know about the performance of the successful candidates who enjoy the privilege of subsidised education in public universities.