Question leaks nothing new

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the leaking of the SSC question papers was nothing new.

"It has been going on for decades. Sometimes it gets publicity and sometimes it does not, this is the reality.

"This time the problem is, we are using technology. And this technology gives us opportunity and creates problems as well," she told a press conference at her official residence the Gono Bhaban.

Hours before the press conference, images of the Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) paper (kha-set) and the answers of yesterday's biology exam were uploaded on several Facebook pages around 8:58am, an hour ahead of the exam.

Meanwhile, Rab yesterday detained five people including four teachers in Dhaka and Gazipur, who admitted that they got question papers at least two hours ahead of the exams and shared those along with the answers in Facebook Messenger groups for money.

PM ON QUESTION LEAK

The PM said the SSC question papers were being leaked 20 minutes ahead of the tests, reports UNB.

"Perhaps, this is happening when the question paper envelops are opened right before distribution. Some people probably are taking pictures of the question papers with their mobile phones. What can be done in this situation?" she asked.

She also mentioned that it was very hard for an examinee to benefit from the leaked questions as there were very few students with photographic memory, the agency reported.

"Are the [education] minister and the [education] secretary leaking the questions? Neither they nor the teachers are doing this. But, of course, there is something, for which question papers are being leaked out."

She sought cooperation from all, including the media, in finding the culprits.

LEAKS PERSIST

In yesterday's exam, the leaked answers of MCQs were written on what looked like an extra answer sheet provided by the authorities in exam halls.

The comprehensive part of the question paper (Ka-set) was found online 40 minutes after the exam started.

Question papers of 10 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams that had taken place earlier, were also leaked and shared on social media, hours before the exams.

This has been the largest-ever reported leaking of SSC questions. Educationists and guardians had expressed concerns that the situation was ruining the education system.

Meanwhile, the 11-member committee formed on February 4 to investigate the leaks, held its second meeting on Sunday. It will hold another meeting on February 25 and submit its report with recommendations the next day.

So far, the inter-ministerial committee has found only one paper to be “fully” identical to the leaked one and some others to be “partially” similar.

ARREST

Rab detained five people including four teachers in the capital and Gazipur yesterday morning in connection with leaks.

Among the detainees, Hasanur Rahman alias Rocky Bhai, 29, admin of a Facebook group, admitted that he took money from examinees and gave them question papers almost a couple of hours ahead of the exams, claimed Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of Rab's media wing.

“Rocky has been in this for last four years,” he told a press briefing at Rab Media Centre in the capital's Karwan Bazar.

Along with Rocky, Rab detained four teachers of a coaching centre and a school in Dhaka and Gazipur yesterday morning. They allegedly collected question papers from Rocky and solved them for the examinees.

“Then they circulated the answers around 8:00am, two hours ahead of the exams,” the officer said.

The four teachers are: Tanvir Hossain, 29, Sajib Miah, 26, Ibrahim, 21, and Enamul Haque, 27.

The Rab official said they obtained a handwritten copy of a question paper from Rocky, which was shared among examinees the night before an exam.

He added that Rocky, a student of Bangladesh Open University, had a Facebook account called Rocky Bhai. He started connecting with possible question seekers in social media groups, two months before the SSC exams had started.

Mufti Mahmud said he assured the examinees of “exclusive suggestions”.

“For each question paper, he took Tk 2,000 through electronic money transfer services. We found evidence of some of the transactions.”

After every exam, Rocky deleted the group concerned, created a new one or changed its title.

Rab seized eight mobile phones and a tablet computer from the detainees.

In primary interrogation, Rocky said he got the questions from a social media group called Top Ten.

“We still don't know the source from where the questions were circulated. We are trying to find it,” Mufti Mahmud said.