'Creative' question in HSC Bangla exam raises uproar

‘Creative’ question in HSC Bangla exam raises uproar

After the technical edu board’s blunder Sunday, now Dhaka board’s Bangla question paper is in the spotlight

Action will be taken against those found responsible for “objectionable” and “communal” contents in Sunday’s Bangla question paper of the Higher Secondary Certificate examination under the Dhaka education board that raised uproar in the social media and surprised educationists, Education Minister Dipu Moni has said.

“Be it in classes or in textbooks, we always discourage any act that could be inflammatory to communal harmony. There are even instructions in this regard to question moderators,” the minister told The Business Standard on Monday.

This year’s HSC tests began on Sunday with the Bangla first paper exam on the first day. A question in the creative section of the Dhaka Education Board’s exam narrates a story of two Hindu brothers involved in a land dispute:

“Two siblings, Nepal and Gopal, have been in a clash over their lands for a long time. Nepal sells his portion of land to Abdul, who is a Muslim, with a view to punishing his brother. Abdul builds a house there and starts to live permanently. Abdul sacrifices a cow in front of Nepal’s home during Eid-ul-Azha. Heart-broken, Nepal moves to India along with his family members.”

Ministry discloses names of teachers who prepared controversial ‘creative’ question for HSC Bangla exam

Terming the objectionable Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) question “very unfortunate”, she said the authorities will find out who is responsible for setting such questions and punish them. “We will do it very soon.”

Educationists and civil society members expressed their outrage as soon as the question paper started making its rounds on social media.

“They are trying to instil communal hatred into our children. It is totally unacceptable,” Ashraful Alam Chisty Shaheen wrote on his facebook wall.

“The paragraph is only to fuel communal hatred and bigotry. The government must identify the culprits and bring them to book immediately,” noted educationist Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury told The Business Standard.

Professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal said a section of teachers who set the questions did it deliberately to create problematic situations. “It is truly unfortunate…”

Tapan Kumar Sarker, chairman of Dhaka Education Board, told The Business Standard that the Board is working to identify the individuals responsible for the fiasco. “I hope we will be able to identify them by tomorrow [Tuesday].”

“Basically, Dhaka Education Board’s question papers come from other boards. Therefore, Dhaka board officials are not responsible for it,” he added.

HSC examinees under the Technical Education Board were provided with wrong question papers on the first day of the tests on Sunday. Later, the board cancelled the Bangla first paper exam.

The Board, however, did not specify who was responsible or whose negligence put more than 1.22 lakh examinees into trouble.

This is not the first-time students were provided with wrong questions, with exams eventually getting cancelled. However, there is no record of any action having been taken against the individuals responsible for the blunders.