Education Ministry must take proactive role

THE SSC exams began on Monday with some hiccups. Wrong question papers were distributed among students during yesterday’s Bangla first part SSC exams at four centres in Barishal, Nilphamari, Jashore, and Feni. These mistakes occurred mistakenly due to the centre teachers not verifying the papers for the regular and irregular candidates. While mistakes can happen at any time, teachers have a duty to look into the papers thoroughly to ensure that candidates get the papers meant for them. Meanwhile Rapid Action Battalion members arrested four people on Sunday night in Dhaka, Gazipur and Khulna for taking money and giving false promises to SSC examinees to supply question papers. They opened different groups on social media and asking for money from the students by promising to provide question papers where some students had already given money. They were sent to the police stations and cases under the Digital Security Act lodged against them.
It’s not the first time that such incidents have been reported. The security services have been more proactive this year compared to past years but it seems that some opportunistic gangs have taken a chance to sell fake papers yet again. So far this year genuine papers can’t be found. If the situation continues till the end of the exams it will be a huge victory for the Education Ministry as they can say that it was an exam where there were no leaks. But, then again, if such a situation were to occur it would bring to the fore the question as to why such a situation could not occur in the recent past where we have seen numerous question paper leaks. It is obvious that stern and decisive action by the ministry can go a long way towards stopping this nonsense—which this ministry has been able to do so far. It clearly shows that the administration is capable of doing something if it wants to.
But when the total administration is politicized, at that time we don’t expect any better response from the relevant ministry as it has in fact no power to go against the desire of the government. A pro-people role is needed for the betterment of our children.