Medical Admission Test: Govt to use device to stop question leak
The health ministry has appointed an independent expert to manage this year's medical admission test, and decided to introduce a digital tracking device to prevent question paper leak.
“There will be a strong monitoring system. There is no possibility of leak,” said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim at a view-exchange programme yesterday with Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum on medical admission test.
The admission test for MBBS will be held on October 7 and for Bachelor of Dental Surgery on November 4, he said at the ministry. A total of 90,426 candidates will take the tests against 11,264 seats in all public and private medical and dental colleges in the country.
Facing widespread allegations of question paper leaks last time, the ministry has made a new arrangement this year. Medical coaching centers were alleged to have links with the leaks.
Nasim said he had received allegations against coaching centers and would seriously think of closing them if found involved in irregularities.
Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said the health ministry or the DGHS would provide administrative and secretarial assistance, but the total admission process will be overseen by the moderator (medical educationist) -- from preparing the question papers, printing and distributing them to students' admission and migration from one college to another.
The ministry has formed a committee comprised of journalists, medical educationists, information technologists and representatives of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council and Bangladesh Medical Association. As per their recommendations, the moderator has been appointed to keep the DGHS and the ministry away from the admission procedure, Prof Abul Kalam said.
Question papers will be printed in the DGHS press, he said, adding that the printing process would be monitored by CCTV cameras under the supervision of the moderator himself.
“The printing staff will be illiterate and will remain in the press without any mobile phone. They will also not be able to go out of the premises during the printing.”
The principal of each medical college, where the exams will be conducted, or his representative and district magistrate will carry question papers in trunks, the DG of the DGHS said.
Each trunk will have two locks -- key of one lock will remain with the DGHS staff and of the other with the magistrate.
Inside each trunk, there will be a tracking device to enable the authorities to centrally locate the transport.
There will be a mechanism so that the moderator gets an alert if the lock is opened on the way or before an instruction is given,
On the exam day, no student will be allowed to enter exam halls ten minutes before the tests or ten minutes after the beginning of the tests, Prof Abul Kalam said.