Examiners to face disciplinary action for negligence in HSC script evaluation: Education minister

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has said that examiners will face disciplinary action if evidence of errors and negligence emerges in the evaluation of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination scripts.

The minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists after attending an event at Samsul Haque Khan School and College in Demra, Dhaka, on Thursday.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon also said that examiners who lack the necessary skills to evaluate examination scripts will receive training.

He added that the Ministry of Education was reviewing examination scripts and identifying weaknesses in the evaluation process to ensure that students receive their actual results.

Earlier, the education minister said that a major irregularity had been found during the re-scrutiny of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination scripts.

In this regard, he said, "The grades of around 45,000 students have changed. Of them, around 5,000 students have moved from failing to passing. Another 3,079 students have newly achieved GPA-5."

He added that the authorities were identifying weaknesses in script evaluation based on this experience.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon reiterated that examiners who lacked the necessary skills to evaluate scripts would receive training, while those who had evaluated scripts incorrectly would face disciplinary action.

The Education Minister said that HSC candidates who failed in one or two subjects would sit their examinations in early December. He added that the results would be published on 23 December.

The initiative aims to prevent students from having to wait an entire year because they failed in only one or two subjects. The same arrangement will also be introduced for future SSC candidates.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that applications for re-scrutiny of examination scripts would be accepted until 7 November.

The results of the re-scrutiny would be published on 23 November. He added that the authorities had taken steps to publish the results quickly, taking into account the admission schedules of Dhaka University and other universities.

The Education Minister said he wanted accurate results rather than incorrect assessments. He stressed that examination results must reflect students' actual academic standards.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon viewed this year's results positively. He said that identifying students' actual academic performance would help the authorities take the necessary measures to improve the quality of education.

Asked whether students who had failed in one or two subjects would be eligible for admission to major public universities, including Dhaka University, the Education Minister said that those whose results changed to a pass after re-scrutiny would be eligible to apply for admission to universities and medical colleges. However, those who remained unsuccessful even after re-scrutiny would not qualify for admission.

Regarding the distribution of textbooks for the new academic year, Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that primary school textbooks had already reached the district level, while textbooks for secondary schools would arrive by 30 November.

The authorities would distribute the books on any day in December. However, he said they planned to hand new textbooks to students on the same day they returned home with their examination results.

The Education Minister said that the government was working to improve technical education and develop a skilled workforce with China's support.

He said Chinese curricula, laboratories, teachers and language courses would be introduced at nine polytechnic institutes: eight across the country's eight administrative divisions, including Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, and one in Cox's Bazar. China would also participate in curriculum development and certification.

Chinese language courses have already been introduced at around 50 universities across the country, he added.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that the government would begin setting up smart classrooms and laboratories in primary schools from next year.

He also announced a “One Teacher, One Tab” programme for teachers, which the government would implement using its own funds. The authorities plan to begin work on the initiative in January.