20 students sit for HSC exam with 2025 question paper due to invigilators' mistake

Due to a serious blunder at the Phulchhari Government Degree College center in Gaibandha, 20 regular candidates of this year's HSC examination sat for their exam using the 2025 question paper instead of the 2026 one. Concurrently, irregular candidates from 2025 took their exam using the 2026 question paper. Although the incident has sparked anxiety among students and guardians, education authorities have assured that it will not affect the results.

The incident occurred during the Bangla First Paper examination at the Phulchhari Government Degree College center in the upazila on Thursday (July 2). It was only after leaving the examination hall that the students realized they had taken the exam with the wrong question paper. When they and their guardians subsequently contacted the center authorities, they were given assurances.

Phulchhari Upazila Secondary Education Officer Syed Monirul Hasan confirmed the incident, stating that 20 regular candidates of 2026 in one examination hall had accidentally taken the exam using the 2025 question paper.

He noted that the incident took place due to a mistake by those in charge.

Asadul Haque, Principal of Phulchhari Government Degree College, said that neither the candidates nor the room invigilators realized the mistake during the entire three-hour duration of the examination. Once the error was detected afterward, the 20 affected answer scripts were separated and sent to the education board, and the board was contacted regarding the matter.

He further added that the relevant answer scripts will be evaluated based on the specific question paper the students actually answered. Consequently, there will be no issues regarding the students' results.

Following the incident, a video circulated on social media showing a guardian expressing anxiety over the results. However, the teachers at the center reassured them that the students would not face any negative consequences.

This year, a total of 17,471 candidates under the general, madrasah, and technical education boards were scheduled to participate in the HSC and equivalent examinations in the Gaibandha district. On the first day, 16,955 candidates took part in the exam, while 516 were absent.