When question paper gets leaked

The arrest of two students of the University of Dhaka, who happen to be office-bearers of the students' front of the ruling party, and an admission seeker dismisses the earlier claim of no leak of question paper for admission by the DU authority. Now that the arrestees have been placed on remand, the extent of the malpractice involving not only with the 'Gha' unit but also other units may be exposed. Those responsible for leaking the question paper have reportedly confessed their crime. There is no reason to believe that such dubious characters have limited their effort to leaking question paper of just one unit. There is every chance for them to go undetected, particularly when they use sophisticated devices for the purpose. Even then, it is not clear how they can leak the question paper eight hours before the test, the results of which have quite surprisingly been published last Sunday by the DU giving the impression that the authorities concerned are least bothered about the matter. But here the fact that it is impossible to leak the question paper that early, without someone involved with the preparation or printing of the question paper making a copy -hard or soft copy or an electronic photocopy on smart phone or tablet -available to them, can in no way be glossed over.

The situation in this country is so deplorable that a shadow of doubt lingers on every public examination, admission test and even recruitment examination. And this is not for nothing. Some of the examinations or tests witness leaks on massive scale, others on a limited scale. All because, of the enormous amount of money involved in the process. Reportedly, each beneficiary of the leaked question paper of the DU admission test had to part with Tk 0.3-0.4 million. Then there is the allegation that to get a job in the public sector, one has to hand over bribe money to the tune of Tk 1.0 million to Tk 1.5 million. When corrupt practices like this become the order of the day, some people staying in close proximity to the admission process are lured to get involved. Or else, this cannot spread like a contagious disease as it has now done.

In general, erosion of values and decline in ethical standard have been responsible for fuelling this criminal practices. A Bangla contemporary reported that a father was scolding his daughter in public immediately after the admission test for not handing over the money he gave her, as agreed, to someone for procurement of the leaked question paper. Many mothers were expressing their frustration because their sons and daughters were not 'smart' enough to collect the leaked question paper.

This type of mindset together with the authority's Ostrich-like denial of question paper leak highlights the overall deterioration of the educational environment. When a father or mother buys leaked question papers, s/he does not notice that it is a purchase of vice as well. Any person with dignity and moral character would have felt ashamed to even mention any such criminal arrangement before their sons and daughters. Now unearned money talks. How can parents manage about a quarter of a million bucks when newspapers carry stories of qualified candidates from poor families facing uncertainty about managing admission fees? Corruption has been eating into the very vital of the moral fabric of society. Let the authorities do all they can to ensure that at least education is left out of all corrupt influences.