HSC question sets to be fixed 25 mins before exams

The education ministry has decided to fix question paper sets 25 minutes before the examination by lottery in the upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations, officials said.

“All sets of question papers will be sent in safety packets to exam centres in the morning and the invigilators will be informed about the set for the exam just 25 minutes before the exam starts”, Secondary and higher secondary division secretary of the education ministry, Sohrab Hossain  said.  

The decision was taken in a meeting of the education ministry on Sunday. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid chaired the meeting. Relevant ministry officials, law enforcers, detectives and other officials attended the meeting.

Sohrab said that the sets will be determined centrally in Dhaka by lottery.

He also said that the ministry has taken various measures to check question paper leakage.

''We've taken several other preventive measures to thwart question paper leaks. I hope the damage that was done earlier would not be repeated,” he added.

Leaks of question papers have taken the form of an epidemic across the country recently in public exams. All the question papers of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) leaked this year.

The secretary, however, did not give 100 per cent assurance of stopping question paper leaks. 

Asked about the number of question paper sets, the education minister said the number would not be disclosed as a strategy.

HSC examinees will have to enter the centres 30 minutes prior to their exams.

This year, HSC and equivalent exams will begin 2 April and continue till 13 May.