18 students, one BEB staffer sued for forgery
Barishal Education Board (BEB) lodged a case with Barishal Airport Police Station against 18 HSC examinees and one staffer for forgery during HSC exams in 2019.
Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of the police station, said Prof Anwarul Azim, controller of examination of the education board, filed the case on Tuesday.
Eighteen HSC examinees and Gobinda Chandra Pal, suspended office assistant of record supplying unit of the education board, are accused in the case.
Police have not arrested anyone in this regard, and the number of accused persons may increase after a probe committee submits its investigation report, said the OC.
The accused students were from Govt Golachipa College and Boga College of Patuakhali district; Shekherhat College of Jhalakathi district; Dhamura College, Rakudia College, Muladi College, Govt Hatem Ali College, Govt Barishal College, and Barishal Model School & College of Barishal district, said the controller of examination.
Prof Md Yunus, chairperson of Barishal Education Board, said, “A three-member enquiry committee, led by Prof Moazzem Hossain, director of secondary and higher education in Barishal region, was asked to submit their report within seven working days from August 12. However, they have asked for some more time.”
The chairperson said the Higher Mathematics paper-1 exam was rescheduled from May 4 to May 14 due to cyclone Fani. Following the exam, the board prepared a standard answer paper, which was distributed to examiners on May 25.
While checking the scripts, it was found that the accused 18 students had written the exact same answers as the standard ones prepared by the board. This raised the suspicion of examiners and the education board, so the board withheld the results of the 18 examinees.
After publishing HSC result on May 17, the board called in the suspected students and asked them to sit for a test using a different set of questions. They failed this test, further raising suspicions.
During interrogation, one of the examinees confessed that with the help of one Gobinda Chandra Pal, office assistant of Barishal Education Board, they were able to get a look at the standard answer sheet, said Prof Yunus, based on a report filed on August 8 by an internal enquiry committee of the education board.
According to the report, the students had submitted blank papers at the exam on May 14. After a standard answer sheet was prepared, Gobinda removed the examinees’ papers from the education board so the students could copy the answers. Then he returned the papers, which were sent to examiners.
Among the 18 accused, five were irregular students while two had failed in math in last year’s HSC exam, said Prof Yunus.
The board authority has cancelled their results in this year’s HSC, and banned them from appearing at the exams for the next three years.
Top officials from the education board said they have found anomalies in the accused students’ answer papers in other subjects as well.
In this regard, the higher enquiry committee led by Prof Moazzem has already started their investigation and hard action will be taken based on the committee’s report, said the chairperson of Barishal Education Board.
Gobinda Chandra Pal denied his involvement in fraud, saying, “I don’t know how these 18 students wrote the same answers. I am a victim of conspiracy.”
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