Coaching centres to close from Friday to prevent question paper leak

Every coaching centre in Bangladesh will be shut down from today in a further attempt by the government to prevent question paper leaks during this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday defended the controversial decision to close the institutions seven days before the SSC exams begin on February 1, saying the government was “determined” to end the illegal practise. “Coaching centres are the dens of question paper leaks,” he said. “They will remain closed until the exams are over.” Nahid said the move had been made in response to fresh leaking from the centres. “Questions were previously leaked from the government press but we have stopped it. However, now some teachers are leaking questions,” he said. About plans to also shut down Facebook during the exams, the minister said the government had taken steps to temporarily block social networking sites during exams where question papers are leaked. “We will decide on the matter after discussions with the telecoms regulator (BTRC),” he said. As part of a raft of extra precautions brought in this year, students will have to take their seats at least 30 minutes before the exams. Nobody will be allowed to enter the exam hall after this time. In addition, only the secretary of each exam centre will be allowed to carry a mobile phone, but even this must be a handset without a camera function. “No-one will be allowed to enter the centres with any device. We will examine the rings and watches of the examinees and the teachers,” the minister said. Nahid said the deputy commissioners and upazila officials will ensure a team in every district reaches the exam centres half an hour before the tests begin. Only then will the question packets be opened. “Anyone violating the rule will be subjected to legal actions,” Nahid said. “There will mobile courts, although it may not be possible to arrange them at all the centres across the country. The Cabinet Division will implement these initiatives.” The same sets of questions will be given to students of every education board to ensure the uniform quality of education. “The quality of education differs among the boards as the questions are different. That is why we have decided to use the same question papers in all the boards,” Secondary and Higher Secondary Division’s Secretary Sohorab Hossain said.This article was first published on banglatribune.com