Investigators on Sunday said they had found evidence substantiating the allegations of question paper leaks during the ongoing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams.
“Some of the leaked scripts were found to be exactly the same as the ones on which exams were conducted, while some were partially similar,” said Md Alamgir, the head of a committee formed to investigate allegations of question leaks.
Alamgir, also secretary to the Vocational and Madrasa Education Division under the Education Ministry, added that they would recommend the cancellation of the test, as the question scripts prepared for it and the leaked ones were exactly the same.
The ministry will decide whether to fully or partially scrap the test, he said, adding that they would hold their final meeting on February 25 and submit the recommendations to the ministry once exams of all subjects are finished.
“If it is revealed during our investigation that only multiple choice questions (MCQs) got leaked, then we will recommend arranging fresh exams for this part, not for the whole subject.
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“And if we find that the questions got leaked during the exam or 30 minutes before the start of exam, then we will perhaps not seek cancellation of the exam, because in such case, the number of students who got the leaked scripts should not exceed 500.”
It will be unfair to recommend cancellation of a whole test attended by as many as two million candidates, he reasoned.
Asked about the mastermind behind the leaked scripts, Alamgir said: “Only law enforcers can tell you who they are. But, I think they should not disclose it now for the sake of investigation.”
Although the government has taken various measures to prevent the question paper leakage, nothing seems to work.
On February 12, it banned the use of mobile phone in a radius of 200 metres around the examination centre and ordered immediate arrest if anyone is found with phone.
On February 11, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission instructed all the internet gateway operators to slash the internet limit as well as mobile phone operators to suspend the internet from 8 am to 10:30 am on the exam days.
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Besides, the High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the allegations of question paper leakage in the ongoing SSC) and its equivalent examinations.
Following a writ petition, an HC bench comprising Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir also directed the authorities concerned to form an administrative investigation body to look into the allegations, said Supreme Court lawyer Ainunnahar Siddiqa, one of the petitioners.
The court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why their failure and inaction to prevent the leakage of question papers should not be declared illegal and unlawful, she said.
Twenty government officials, including education, law and home secretaries, and chairmen of the education boards, were made respondents to the rule which is returnable in three weeks, the lawyer added.
The court asked the authorities concerned to submit the probe reports before it within 30 days.Parts of this article were taken from banglatribune.com
Thursday, April 25, 2024
