Future of 8 students saved through Education Minister's intervention
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The future of eight students higher education pursuit was cleared by the intervention of the education minister that allowed them to sit for HSC exams in Natore. In the same incident, police arrested a college staff accused of wrongdoing.
Eight students of Abdulpur Government College in Lalpur upazila of Natore had submitted the prescribed fees for form fill-up. However, their forms were not properly completed, leaving them without admit cards. As a result, they were unable to appear in the Bangla first paper of the HSC examination, which began last Thursday.
After the incident was reported in various media outlets, it drew the attention of Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon. He then spoke to Rajshahi Education Board Chairman Shamim Ara Chowdhury and instructed him to take immediate steps to ensure the students could sit for the examinations.
According to the complaint, college office assistant Amit Kumar Sarkar collected the form fill-up fees from the students but failed to deposit the money properly, which led to the students not receiving their admit cards.
The minister ordered a swift investigation into the matter and directed that strict legal and departmental action be taken against those responsible. He also spoke with the journalist who reported the incident.
Following the adviser’s instructions, the Rajshahi Education Board completed the students’ form fill-up process on Friday, enabling them to sit for the examinations as regular candidates from Saturday.
The Minister also spoke by phone with Natore Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque and Lalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam, instructing them to take prompt legal action against the accused.
Subsequently, police arrested office assistant Amit Kumar Sarkar and took him into custody. Legal proceedings against him are underway.
Meanwhile, the minister instructed the Rajshahi Education Board chairman to conduct a full investigation and take exemplary action against those responsible. A three-member probe committee has already been formed, headed by Abdulpur Government College chemistry department associate professor Abdullah Al Mahmud.
In a separate incident, a complaint from an HSC examinee in Sariakandi, Bogura, also reached the minister. The student could not sit for the examination despite paying the fees on time due to an incorrect registration number. The adviser spoke with the concerned officials and ordered swift action and exemplary punishment for those responsible. The student’s form fill-up has since been completed, and he will also be able to sit for the examinations as a regular candidate from Saturday.
However, questions have been raised regarding the absence of the eight Natore students from the Bangla first paper. Attempts to contact the education adviser multiple times for his comments on the issue were unsuccessful.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Syed Akhtaruzzaman said that under existing rules, a candidate may still sit for subsequent examinations even if absent from one subject. If the required marks are obtained in the second paper, there is scope for evaluation of the missed paper in accordance with regulations. He added that the decision regarding the Bangla first paper for the Natore students would be taken by the board based on directives from the Ministry of Education and higher authorities.
