Six teachers have been relieved of their examination duties after incorrect multiple-choice question (MCQ) papers were distributed at two Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination centres in Narsingdi on the first day of the exams, raising concerns over exam management.
Separate investigations have also been launched by the district administration to determine how the errors occurred.
According to officials, candidates in one examination room at the Narsingdi Pilot High School sub-centre under Sadar Upazila were mistakenly given MCQ question papers from the previous year’s syllabus. The error was detected shortly after the exam began when students alerted invigilators. Although the incorrect papers were replaced with the correct ones, many examinees expressed frustration as they were not granted additional time to compensate for the disruption.
Professor Nasima Akter, principal of Narsingdi Government Women’s College and secretary of the examination centre, said the outdated question papers had been distributed unintentionally.
The mistake was corrected immediately after it came to our attention, and an investigation has been initiated to determine how it happened, she said.
She added that two teachers responsible for receiving, storing and distributing the question papers had been temporarily removed from examination duties.
Meanwhile, a similar incident was reported at Khidirpur Degree College examination centre in Monohardi Upazila, where around one hundred candidates allegedly sat for the MCQ examination using a different question set than the one assigned to them.
Several students said they were unaware of the mistake during the examination and only discovered it later while checking their answers at home.
One examinee said they realised after the exam that they had answered questions from the wrong paper, leaving them deeply concerned about the possible impact on their results.
Professor Abdul Mannan, principal of Monohardi Government College, said the incident was initially believed to have resulted from negligence by the teachers assigned to examination duties.
“We are maintaining communication with the Dhaka Education Board to resolve the matter,” he said.
Monohardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer M A Muhaimin Al Jihan said question papers pass through several stages of verification before reaching examination centres, suggesting that the error was likely caused by negligence at the centre level.
He said four teachers had been removed from examination duties, while administrative action was also being initiated against the centre secretary.
In the separate incident at the Narsingdi Sadar centre, the district commissioner assigned the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) to conduct an inquiry.
Officials said appropriate action would be taken against those found responsible after the investigations are completed. They also said the education authorities are coordinating with the Dhaka Education Board to ensure that no examinee is unfairly affected by the incidents.
