The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rajshahi having cancelled the history second-paper question set for the forthcoming Higher Secondary Certificate examinations amid allegations of a leak from a police station in Naogaon suggests that the authorities have yet to ensure foolproof security to prevent question paper leaks. The set of questions was kept in a locked trunk at the Dhamoirhat police station for distribution to centres on the morning of the examination day. The trunk was found unlocked and breached inside the police station during a routine sorting process on 17 June and some question papers were found scattered and torn. The education board later cancelled the compromised set of questions for all the eight districts under its jurisdiction. The Naogaon police have, meanwhile, withdrawn a sub-inspector and a constable responsible for custodial security at the police station for negligence of duty. Two investigtion committees have also been set up and a case has been filed against one detained who was in the room where the trunk was kept. The detained has been sent to jail.
From all that has surfaced, it appears to have been an attempt to leak the question paper. It also suggests negligence on part of the police as they kept the trunk in a room where detained were held or had access. The involvement of police personnel at the station cannot be ruled out either. This incident highlights the failure of the authorities to adequately address the issue of question paper leak, which frequently makes the headlines. The issue has for long been a matter of concern, with questions for public examinations, university and medical college admission tests, and civil service and other recruitment examinations being routinely leaked. During the 2018 Secondary School Certificate Examinations, question papers were leaked for all subjects but one. A 2015 Transparency International Bangladesh report said that at least 63 public examination question papers were leaked in the past. Allegations of leaks in more than two dozen recruitment examinations for public services, including the preliminary test for the 46th Bangladesh Civil Service, made the headlines in 2024. A 2023 Criminal Investigation Department report found that a racket, including physicians, had leaked medical college admission test question papers at least 10 times in 16 years, resulting in the admission of many undeserving students.
The unabated leak of question papers poses a threat to education, merit and society. The authorities should, therefore, adequately address the issue and take foolproof measures to prevent any recurrence of question paper leaks.
