LEAKAGE of question papers of public examinations has been hammering our education system propelling the nation to believe that corruption pays dividends and that we have a brainless bureaucracy, a fragile democracy, and incompetent administrators who are least bothered about our future. Question paper leakages in almost all levels, from primary to PSC’s job tests are not only occurring uninterruptedly but also simultaneously and are destroying the backbone of the nation for some time. The news of Bangla question paper leakage of Primary Education Completion Examination went viral on Sunday evening and the examination was held on Monday with the leaked question papers to sustain the government’s claim of rumours of a leakage.
According to media reports most guardians were shocked to see that all the questions relating to letter, essay, seen and unseen passages and poems were the same as in the hand written question paper in circulation. The Bangla questions posted on at least three facebook pages were ‘no different’ from the question paper distributed in the exam centres. It was equally disquieting to the learners and their parents, and ultimately the nation, that several questions of Global and Bangladesh Studies were posted on facebook on Monday evening, before the examination was held Tuesday. Users of a facebook page claimed at 6 PM on Monday that they posted several questions of Bangladesh and Global Studies. Terming the reports as ‘rumours,’ the Primary and Mass Education Ministry and the Directorate of Primary Education dismissed the allegations.
Guardians upset about their children’s education expressed their dissatisfaction while educationists, teachers and the Ministry concerned are busy covering up their irresponsibility. To claim innocence, the Directorate Officials found nothing in common between the original question paper and the hand written Bangla question paper, seized from four teachers, who were arrested at Bogra on Sunday night.
In the past two years, the terminal examination of Primary and Ebtedayee took a beating amid allegations of question paper leakage, although the authorities felt no embarrassment in the past over the question papers leakage. The examinations billed as the country’s largest public examination began on Sunday with around 31 lakh Class-V students of schools and madrasas taking the tests.
Due to this unethical practice the quality of education has taken a bad hit and principles of healthy competition are being affected. Particularly, the question paper leakages of the Primary Education Completion Examination has put an immense pressure on the school-goers and put people to doubt about the sanctity of the examination.
