Education Minister’s Stern Warning Against Cheating

Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haq Milan has issued a stern warning that teachers and examination officials will also be held accountable if any malpractice, including cheating, is detected during public examinations. He emphasised that the upcoming Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations will be conducted under a fully cheating-free and question-leakage-free environment.

The Minister made it clear that disciplinary action will not be limited to students alone. If irregularities are identified at any examination centre, teachers, invigilators, and other responsible officials will face strict departmental proceedings. According to him, maintaining transparency in examinations is a shared responsibility, and any failure in supervision will not be tolerated.

He further announced that there will be no provision for “grace marks” in this year’s evaluation process. Students will be assessed strictly on the basis of their written performance in answer scripts. “We want genuine merit to prevail. The culture of undue sympathy or artificially promoting underperforming candidates must come to an end,” he stated, adding that the era of automatic passes is over.

To strengthen examination integrity, the Ministry has decided to deploy Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in identified vulnerable centres. These centres will be placed under enhanced surveillance, while a gradual plan is underway to install CCTV systems in all examination venues nationwide. In addition, selected centres will be monitored through live surveillance systems connected to a central control room.

Officials have also indicated that special inspection teams, including high-level authorities, may carry out sudden visits to examination centres across the country. In extreme cases, the Minister himself or ministry-appointed teams may arrive on-site immediately upon receiving alerts from monitoring systems.

The Ministry of Education has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards cheating, question paper leaks, and digital fraud. Security arrangements surrounding question paper printing, storage, and distribution have been significantly strengthened. Every stage of the process will now be subject to enhanced digital tracking to prevent any possibility of tampering or leakage.

Special attention will be given to remote and high-risk areas, including riverine char regions, coastal belts, hilly districts, and other geographically challenging locations. Education Boards have already been instructed to submit lists of vulnerable centres, which will receive additional security support.

A summary of key measures is provided below:

The SSC and equivalent examinations are scheduled to commence on 21 April under the newly formed government. The authorities have reiterated that ensuring fairness, transparency, and credibility in public examinations remains a top national priority.