From Helicopter to CCTV: Cheating Falls by 78%
Education Minister during an inspection visit to an SSC examination center. File photo.
Cheating during this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations has dropped by 78 percent, as the exams concluded on May 21. Before the exams began, Education Minister Ehsanul Hoque Milon warned, “There will be no leniency for cheating.” He also issued a series of strict directives, including “action will be taken if rumors of question leaks spread” and “expulsion if mobile phones are found at examination centers.” He also instructed authorities to carry out strict body searches on candidates entering exam halls.
At the time, the Ministry of Education faced strong criticism from teachers and students after announcing measures such as ‘silent expulsion’. The initiative was later withdrawn. Despite the criticism, the minister’s directives had a positive impact on the examinations, leading to a 78 percent reduction in cheating compared to the previous year.
As the coordinator of the Inter-Education Board, the Dhaka Education Board publishes expulsion data from all education boards in the country. According to the board, a record 1,155 examinees were expelled during the SSC examinations held in February 2020. In 2021, the number dropped to 123 due to shortened syllabi and limited examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, 555 candidates were expelled in examinations conducted with shortened syllabi in the post-pandemic period. In 2023, when examinations returned to a fully normal setting, the number of expulsions rose sharply to 796 due to malpractice. In 2024, 747 candidates were expelled, while in 2025 the number stood at 721. This year, however, the figure has dropped significantly to 208.
The Ministry of Education says strict monitoring, center-based enforcement, and the minister’s zero-tolerance message have transformed the examination environment. It added that this year’s exams were conducted in the most peaceful and cheat-free environment in recent years. Before the exams began, coaching centers were shut down, mobile phones and smart devices were strictly banned inside centers, and the highest level of confidentiality was maintained in question paper distribution.
Dhaka Education Board Secretary Professor S M Kamal Uddin Haider said teachers were more vigilant this year, and the question papers were well-balanced and of high quality. As a result, examinees relied more on their preparation rather than unfair means. He added that the education minister’s strict anti-cheating stance worked like a tonic.
Digital Surveillance
For the first time this year, CCTV cameras were made mandatory in all examination centers, with passwords controlled by the education boards and the ministry. This allowed monitoring committees to oversee exams from Dhaka.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Professor Khondoker Ehsanul Kabir said CCTV surveillance played a key role in reducing cheating this year. He described it as a constant digital guardian that created psychological pressure on both examinees and invigilators, discouraging malpractice.
Board exam controllers said live footage from cameras installed in every classroom was directly connected to center secretaries’ rooms, the central control rooms of respective education boards, and a special monitoring cell at the Ministry of Education. As a result, any attempt by examinees to cheat or by invigilators to assist malpractice was immediately detected, allowing rapid action by vigilance teams through remote instructions.
Helicopter Mission to CCTV Monitoring
Between 2001 and 2006, then deputy education minister Ehsanul Haque Milon led anti-cheating drives across the country. He would conduct surprise visits to examination centers using helicopters to catch cheating in the act.
Two decades later, Milon now serves as the full education minister. This time, he monitored the country’s 3,885 examination centers through satellite systems and mobile screens. The much-discussed helicopter mission of 2001 has now been replaced by CCTV surveillance. Ahead of the exams, he toured the country for two months, speaking with key officials involved in examination management.
Speaking to Agamir Somoy about the overall situation, Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said, “This time I completed the helicopter work through CCTV. Now the mobile phone itself is the satellite. The mobile in hand was the controller of all examination centers because we controlled all CCTV passwords. So we checked whatever was necessary whenever needed.”
He added, “These initiatives helped create a largely cheat-free examination environment. The level of cheating will decrease further in the future.”
Notably, SSC and equivalent examinations began simultaneously on April 21 across 3,885 centers nationwide. A total of 1,857,344 students participated in this year’s examinations.
