SSC examinees served wrong question papers on first day

SSC examinees at Agragami Girls High School of Zindabazar, Sylhet on 3 February, 2020. Photo: Anis Mahmud
SSC examinees at Agragami Girls High School of Zindabazar, Sylhet on 3 February, 2020. Photo: Anis Mahmud

The question papers based on old (2018-19) syllabus were distributed to several centres in six districts on the first day of this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) on Monday.

Several Prothom Alo correspondents from different districts have reported of the exams taken in mistakenly served question papers.

The first day's exam was on Bangla first paper.

The anomaly occurred as the regular examinees were distributed question papers that were prepared following the old syllabus.

The victim students, at some places, were allowed to sit for the exam again when some, at other places, are concerned over their fate.

In Kushtia, 18 candidates at Kushtia Government Girls' School, took the MCQ test in Bangla first paper twice as, first time, they were handed the question papers that followed the syllabus of the academic year 2018-19.

As the mistake came to the light, the authorities called the students, who went home expecting their exam was already over, and made them take the exam again on the proper question papers based on the syllabus of academic year 2019-20.

The question papers prepared on the old syllabus were also served to 20 Halima Khatuan Girls Secondary School students who could not control their emotion as the blunder captured the attention of the authorities at the end of the exam.

In Lalmonirhat, an exam centre secretary, a member of the exam control committee and an invigilator were revoked after wrong question papers were handed at Barabari Shahid Abul Kashem High School.

"This is undesirable," district education officer Md Abul Kalam Azad said adding that the answer sheets were sent to the education board maintaining proper security measures and the students, 193 in total, would not be affected.

In Gaibandha, the authorities at Gobindaganj Government High School found that wrong question papers were served after the exam went on for 30 minutes and they provided the original question papers afterwards.

Some 98 candidates at Nilphamari's Rabeya Balika Bidya Niketan too had to take the exam in wrong question papers. As the mistake was revealed, they were allowed additional time to take the exam again in the correct question papers.

Meanwhile, five members of the exam committee and the centre secretary were called off as wrong question papers were distributed at Chougachha Government Shahadat Pilot Secondary School in Chougachha, Jashore too.

Wrong question papers were also served at Fazilpur WB Quaderi High School in Feni.

According to the inter-education board coordination sub-committee, among 2,047,779 candidates 12,937 were absent on the first day of the countrywide exam while 22 were expelled for breaching discipline.

The committee also said, the number of absent candidates is 1,825 in Dhaka, 653 in Rajshahi, 499 in Cumilla, 536 in Jashore, 400 in Chattogram, 358 in Sylhet, 354 in Barishal, 470 in Dinajpur and 353 in Mymensingh.

The number of absent candidates was 4,806 for Dakhil exams under Madrasah Education Board and 2,684 for vocational exam under Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) on Monday.

In Brahmanbaria, five madrasa teachers were sentenced to two years imprisonment and fined Tk 10,000 for providing answer sheets at an exam centre in Ashuganj. The exam centre secretary and hall superintendent were revoked, too.

The SSC and equivalent exams are being taken at 3,000 centres.

(Correspondents from the concerned districts contributed in the filing of the report.)