Question paper leaks

The number of instances of question paper leaks in this month alone, that too of primary school examinations, is staggering. In this context, the ACC's recent letter to the cabinet about the sources of these leaks and recommendations to stop them is timely, and was an excellent opportunity to tackle the issue head on. Instead, it seems the authorities are even reluctant to accept responsibility. On Wednesday the parliamentary standing committee on primary and mass education declared after a meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban that the government or the ministry cannot be blamed for the question leaks.

The reason it gave for its statement is that since the government or the ministry does not prepare the questions, they are not responsible for the leaks. It is the job of these committees to be monitoring bodies for policy-management issues. This follows a remark by our education minister who declared recently that some immoral teachers are behind such leaks. It is true that primary school questions are prepared at the upazila level. But, using that excuse to absolve all responsibility is to turn a blind eye to the problem and refuse to acknowledge its deeper roots.

The recent leaks are not novelties. A culture of leaking question papers has permeated the education sector of the country, be it the JSC, SSC or HSC exams or university admission tests. What has been done to stop this? The ACC letter pointed out that these leaks happen through government officials involved in the process or through the supply chain of question paper preparation. And it is the role of the government and the ministry to figure out what is behind this phenomena and what can be done to tackle this. The responsibility is primarily theirs, despite what the standing committee claims.