At last, the education ministry has initiated a move to implement the recommendations made earlier by different committees to print the question papers in a digital system to avoid frequent leakage.
Several recommendations made by different committees to prevent the leaking of question papers in public examinations were stalled even for more than three years.
Meanwhile, leakage of the question papers were continuing. Noted educationist Professor Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, educationist and Professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Mohammad Kaykobad and education reformist and former education secretary Md. Nazrul Islam Khan were vocal to print question papers in digital system to avoid leakage for the last few years. Moreover, a committee led by Md. Sohrab Hossain, (Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division), while he was serving as additional secretary of the education ministry also recommended the same.
According to the suggestions, on the morning of exam day the question papers will be printed locally under the supervision of the concerned Deputy Commissioner or Upazila Administration and thereby distributed among the examinees. Under this scheme, a printer will be installed in the exam halls or any other protected areas and will be used to print the question papers.
The Education Ministry is now planning to introduce this new system from the HSC exams which are going to be started from April. The decisions will be finalised through a workshop with the experts.
Replying to a query, Sohrab Hossain, Secretary of Secondary and Higher education division of the education ministry, confirmed to the dainikshiksha.com but he refrained to elaborate further.
A few days back, two sets of question papers were printed in the BG press and sent to the districts from where the upajila nirbahi officers (UNOs) collected the papers and took it to the respective Upazilas three days before the exam.
On the morning of the exam, the secretary of the centre, in the presence of magistrates takes the sealed packet of question papers to the exam halls and according to the rules, the packet is to be opened half an hour before the exams. There are allegations that these packets were opened in a few centres before the scheduled time and the questions were leaked by taking pictures with cell phones. The question papers also spread through social media one or two days before the exam.
There are allegations of leaking exam papers in different public examinations (PECE, JSC and HSC) and also in the on going SSC exams.
A senior official of the education ministry said the question paper of English and math ( theoretical) second paper) were leaked.
Thereafter, an inter-ministerial probe body was formed headed by the Secretary of the present secondary and higher secondary education division Sohrab Hossain (the then additional secretary). The committee put forth some recommendations that included the question selection, alteration and codification must be done through a specific software.
Questions will be collected from those who prepared the papers and would be kept in a “question bank” and then from there sets of questions will be prepared.
On the exam day, more than one set of questions will be sent to the people concerned through online. Thereafter, it will be printed locally and distributed among the examinees.
The recommendation also include following above mentioned procedure, more than one prepared set of questions will be sent through a protected device a few days before the exam.
The device will be encrypted in such a way that it would be time restricted and no one can open it before the morning of exam day.
Right before the exam, the questions will be printed and will be distributed among the examinees. Education ministry has devised its new plan in the light of these two recommendations.
Mohammad Nazrul Islam Khan said “we do not see any other alternative to prevent the leaking of the question paper except printing the question papers by a digital system.”
When asked how realistic this is, Professor Md. Kaykobad said that he has been advocating to incorporate this system of printing exam papers for quite a long time. He also had written columns in newspapers. Despite the delay, it is very positive that the education ministry has taken this initiative to print the question papers on the exam day because the question papers pass through many hands before reaching the exam hall so there is a chance of leaking. Nowadays, Google Glass is available which can copy and record the questions just by looking at it once.
SET CHANGES FOR LEAKS
Huge allegations were made of leaking the Bengali second paper questions in the current SSC exams. The leaked questions which were available on social media on the morning of the exam matched the questions of the SSC compulsory Maths examination, which was held last Sunday.
A number of officials of the Education Ministry and Dhaka Education Board said the set of questions was changed for one or two exams because the leaked questions matched the original.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said that the major source of the leaks was the BG press, which has been prevented. But now, a few teachers from some centres reported to have been leaking questions. This is being looked into and stern actions will be taken if someone responsible is found.
The Minister also said, “More probes will be carried out over the allegations raised on the leakage of the SSC Maths question papers. If this is found true, the exams will be cancelled.’
