No tolerance for exam irregularities, centre secretaries on notice: Education Minister

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon has issued a strict warning to ensure a cheat-free examination environment, stating that even copying in the washroom will be treated as an offence, and the centre secretary will be held responsible.

Speaking as chief guest at a views-exchange meeting with centre secretaries of Rajshahi, Madrasa and Technical Education Boards at Rajshahi Medical College auditorium on Saturday, April 11, the minister made it clear that no irregularities would be tolerated in examination halls.

Explaining the return of cheating in exams, the minister said, "I had buried and shrouded cheating. But it returned due to lack of good will from the subsequent government." He strongly criticised the previous administration, saying, "The education sector collapsed during the Awami League government, and the interim government has brought it out from that collapse."

Emphasising the mental health of examinees, the minister said, "Exams must be taken fearlessly. Students cannot be intimidated. Whatever students write in their answer scripts, they must be given marks accordingly." He also issued a stern warning about examiners' negligence, noting that some examiners get others to evaluate answer scripts. "If someone commits digital forgery, they will be dealt with digitally," he said.

The minister announced that he would personally check answer scripts through sampling to ensure examiners are awarding marks properly.

Calling for a radical change in the education system, Dr Ehsanul Haque Milon said there is currently an unhealthy competition among boards over who can achieve the highest pass rate. "We must move away from this culture," he said.

He also informed that letters would be sent to the power division to ensure uninterrupted electricity during exam times. "We will send letters to the power division across the country so that power outages do not occur during exams."

Stressing the need to convert the country's large population into human resources rather than seeing it as a curse, the minister told madrasa students, "If we can teach Arabic properly in schools and colleges, we can capture the entire Middle East."

There is no alternative to acquiring language skills to create a skilled workforce, he added.