On the seventh day of posting the draft of the education law on the website of the Ministry of Education, the ministry has withdrawn the draft from their website yesterday.
In a statement yesterday the ministry said the circular published on the ministry website was withdrawn upon command to make a modification of the proposed draft after scrutinising the draft of the law.
It will be posted again after completing the drafting, the statement also said.
On October 20, the ministry drafted a new law proposing an imprisonment of four years or a fine of Tk1 lakh or both for involvement in question leaking.
According to the Public Examinations (offences) Act 1980 the conviction was punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and shall not be less than three years.
The act was later amended in 1992 reducing the conviction for public examination question leaking to four years.
After publishing the draft of the law on the ministry’s website criticism came from education experts and other stakeholder.
The Dhaka Tribune contacted Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid for his comment on the cancellation of the draft, but he could not be reached over the phone immediately.
But a higher official of the Education Ministry in exchange for anonymity informed the Dhaka Tribune that amid criticism after publishing the draft of the law on the ministry website, the ministry has withdrawn the previous circular.
“But after modifying the draft it will be put up again,” the official said.
On August 5, 2013 the ministry drafted the education law and posted the draft on its website.