Published: 10:06 AM, 18 December 2017
Nahid once again blames leaks on teachers
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has once again blamed teachers for unabated question leaks prior to exams.
Citing a suggestion that question papers should be taken into centres just half an hour before the exams, the minister said: “What’s the point? It is the teachers who are leaking the questions.”
Nahid made the statement after wrapping up a meeting with the Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC that discussed ways to keep his ministry free of irregularities and corruption.
The minister, however, did not mention what steps the government was taking to identify the culprits.
The government has taken multiple steps to prevent leaks from the Bangladesh Government Press, he said.
But leaks are still going on because of some teachers, according to Nahid.
Leaks also tarnished this year’s Junior School Certificate and Primary School Certificate exams. Questions for the public exams surfaced on the social media and later matched the ones that appeared in the actual exams.
One Facebook page is already putting up posts to lure candidates of SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) for the tests due next year.
A special team of the ACC has said in its findings that some unscrupulous staffers of the education board, Bangladesh Government Press and exam centres are behind the crime.
It also found that coaching centres, teachers and random crime rings are involved in the leaks.
The findings include 39 recommendations to stop question leaks, coaching, corruption in teachers’ inclusion in the MPO (monthly pay order) list, their appointments and transfers.
It sent the report to the cabinet secretary, the education secretary, director general of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, chairman of National Curriculum and Textbook Board, and chief engineer of the Education Engineering Department on Dec 13.
ACC Commissioner Nasir Uddin Ahmed discussed the report with Minister Nahid on Sunday.
“The coaching centres encourage the teachers to leak questions. They say students will score well if they leak the questions and that will ultimately benefit them,” Nahid said. “So some teachers are being coaxed into leaking the questions.”
Many renowned teachers do not spend enough time to teach students in classrooms and instead focus on private coaching to ensure additional income, Nahid said.
The government will shut the coaching centres once a law is passed, he added.
