Question leak spree continues

Question paper leaks seem unstoppable.

After the alleged leak of Bangla first and second paper SSC questions, the same thing happened with the English first paper yesterday.

Pictures of the questions of “Ka” set were found on several Facebook pages about half an hour before the exam that began at 10:00am. The photos had been circulating in some secret WhatsApp and messenger groups since 7:17am, show screenshots. 

Some of the leak-sters were seen bragging about leaking the questions on Facebook when the exam was still underway. They claimed that they have again been successful in leaking the questions.  

Some of them even claimed that they would leak the questions of English second paper on Wednesday.    

After yesterday's exam, this correspondent compared the questions of the test with those of the screenshots and found them to be identical.  

On Sunday, some Facebook groups and individuals offered English first paper question, some asked for money from potential buyers while others offered it free. Those who asked for money gave mobile phone numbers to send in money.

A good number of people from different parts of the country allegedly communicated with the leak-sters and got the leaked questions, The Daily Star learnt from some of them on Facebook.

Seeing a post on Facebook, Akib Javed (not his real name) contacted an account holder with the name of Tusher Shuvro Sunday afternoon. Tusher gave Akib a phone number.

When Akib called that number, the person on the other end asked him to send Tk 500 to a mobile banking account. Akib tried but failed as the account had already reached its limit for receiving money.

Later, the user gave Akib another account number and asked him to send the money there. This time, Akib succeeded and another Facebook user with the name of Rishad Ahamed sent him a friend request.

As Akib accepted the request, he was instantly added to a secret messenger group called “English 1st question 1”. At that time, the group had 27 members but the number rose to 40 by night. 

In the group conversation, Rishad and another user with the name Abraham Joy said they would upload the questions between 7:00am and 8:00am yesterday.

The Daily Star obtained screenshots of the conversations.

The group was deleted after the questions were circulated in the    morning.

Talking to this newspaper, many examinees, wishing not to be named, alleged that similar secret groups were active on digital platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp.

Questions of different public examinations have been leaked over the last few years, but the education ministry never admitted it.

For the first time, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Sunday announced Tk 5 lakh bounty for helping catch those involved in question papers leak. His ministry also formed an 11-member probe body to investigate the allegations of question leak in Bangla first paper and second paper.

Nahid made the announcement after an emergency meeting in the wake of widespread allegations that the “Kha” set question papers (multiple choice questions) of Bangla first and second parts had been leaked.

Meanwhile, Jatiya Party lawmaker Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu yesterday in parliament demanded that the minister steps down for his failure to stop question paper leak.

Speaking on point of order, he also called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to sack him and appoint another person in his place “to save the academic life of millions of students”.