Show-cause notices issued to 4 teachers over errors in HSC Physics question paper

Four teachers responsible for moderating the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Physics (Theory) First Paper question have been served with show-cause notices after two questions in the paper were found to be incorrect. Candidates also complained that the paper was unusually difficult.

Following Monday’s examination, students staged demonstrations and blocked roads throughout Tuesday in Dhaka and several other districts, demanding that the exam be retaken, the education minister resign, and two other demands be met.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Education said in a press release issued in the evening that Sylhet Education Board's Controller of Examinations, Professor Bilkis Yasmin, had served show-cause notices on the four teachers responsible for moderating the paper. All four are affiliated with the Sylhet Education Board.

The government has also acknowledged that the Physics question paper contained errors. Responding to questions in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said Questions no. 6 and 7 of the Physics paper were incorrect. Candidates will receive full marks for those two questions.

The teachers served with the notices are Professor Md Mujibur Rahman of the Physics Department at Sreemangal Government College; Assistant Professor Kazi Junayed Al Amin of the Physics Department at Brindaban Government College; Assistant Professor Mosaddek Hossain Khan of the Physics Department at MC College; and Lecturer Mohammad Helal Uddin of the Physics Department at Sylhet Government Model School and College.

According to the Ministry of Education, serious errors and inconsistencies were found in Questions no. 6 and 7 of the creative section of the Physics (Theory) First Paper held on the morning of 13 July. It said such mistakes had subjected candidates to severe mental stress in the examination hall.

As responsible teachers and moderators, allowing such errors and inconsistencies into the question paper amounted to gross irresponsibility and professional negligence. The ministry added that the incident had damaged the reputation of the Sylhet Education Board.

The four teachers have been asked to submit written explanations within three working days of receiving the notices, stating why departmental action should not be taken against them for the serious errors and inconsistencies in the moderation process.

This year, the HSC examinations are being conducted using a common question paper across the country's nine general education boards.