Since education is a fair measure of a nation, the procedure of an examination recognises the aptitude or skills of individuals appearing at it. Â The process however can either be disrupted or tarnished by any undesirable intervention. In Bangladesh, one such intervention concerns leaking out of question papers by a criminal network with an ill motive. As the system's primary stakeholders, the examinees find it quite difficult to recover from the dangerous consequences.
Nowadays, question paper leak has become so frequent that people are losing trust in the country's education system. The crime has rampantly been used by a section of examinees and candidates for passing public examinations, getting admission to public universities or managing a lucrative job. Thanks to the widespread use of the internet and hi-tech devices, question paper leak has defied all attempts to arrest it. Authorities at times postpone or cancel examinations subject to prima facie evidence. However, scheduled examinations on leaked question papers also take place. Students thus get a wrong signal. The government's education policy proves to be a farce by its ineptitude. Actually, candidates who work hard day and night are the worst victims of a malpractice like question paper leak.
The Primary School Certificate (PSC), Junior School Certificate (JSC), Secondary School Certificate (SSC), and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations are made a target of the criminal practice. Even admission tests for the country's public universities are not spared by the criminals. Question papers for the government's recruitment examinations also find porous security to come out. Advanced technologies, skills and novel methods are adopted to commit the crime.Â
Evidently, a powerful criminal syndicate is active with the sole purpose of leaking question papers just before the PSC, JSC, SSC and HSC examinations. Perhaps, they use a strong connection with corrupt officials and a few politicians to get their way. As the syndicate remains inaccessible, only the petty miscreants get exposed to regular investigations. Plus, an acute deficiency exists in the coordination, cooperation and trust among the government's numerous organisations. Something is definitely wrong with the Bangladesh Government (BG) Press which is responsible for printing, publishing and circulating the question papers of all education boards.Â
Moreover, coaching centres that focus on PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC exams, and university and medical admission tests have contributed to an increase in question paper leaks. Owners and employees of such coaching centres often misdirect their students in an unfair race. Consequently, alluring government officials with kickbacks and using political connections can be beneficial and hence coaching centres may have access to sets of question papers before public exams. They distribute the high-priced question papers to students.Â
Leaking question paper out is a crime - a sign of moral decay. As institutions are schooling the young generation how to achieve good marks, they fail to teach them how to attain knowledge. The impact of leaking question papers consists of inappropriate assessment of students' merit, damage to student's creativity and degradation of human values. Further, leak of question papers exert an undesirable influence on intellectual and moral development of young learners. It is a strong disincentive to learning knowledge the hard way. A weakness such as this in the early years can have a lasting impact on their adult life, rendering them inefficient and corrupt.
So, numerous safety measures and a strict mode of confidentiality must be enforced in the process of preparing and disseminating question papers of all public examinations. State-of-the-art security systems or CCTV cameras need to be installed in the BG Press premises. Likewise, employees of such organisation should not be allowed to leave the premise or even move out for having meal or prayers during the sensitive work schedules. Lastly, the administrative tools and means of BG Press should be upgraded and coordinated under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. It is time the government adopted a wide variety of radical measures in the war against question paper leak.
nabil.dewan@gmail.com
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Safeguard against question paper leak
Nabil Azam Dewan | Published: February 17, 2017 19:27:29 | Updated: October 18, 2017 00:23:24
Safeguard against question paper leak
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