No nation of the world is currently slapped the ignominious blame of leaking the question papers except Bangladesh. The most heinous ever scandalously recurrent cycle of leakage regarding question papers has so badly tarnished the national image and identity that it almost goes beyond all repairs, to speak the bland truth. Even if, it is possible in the foreseeable future to plug the channels of leakage, it will undeniably be far too more difficult to seal the gaping cracks in the matters of national integrity and clean image before the global community. In fact, it evidently appears that question papers leakage is a part of our institutional procedures and we have already got used to it.

Question papers of any format are not just the newspaper-liSevere malaiseke commodities to be sold everywhere on payment. In every possible case, any type of question papers is universally considered to be the most sacred possession that always calls for the safest custody. Why will the question papers be treated that seriously? A question paper is obviously a determining benchmark through which mechanism and subtleties the nation builders of tomorrow will be determined. That is why the topmost plus secrecy regarding question papers secrecy is simply a one-option issue-a sacredly secret thing. It is clearly known to all that even the most block-headed persons can answer all the questions if known beforehand. It is a serious question before the whole nation now- Will we continue inducting the non-qualified, average and sub-standard people into the steering position of the nation?

Leakage regarding question papers evidently affirms and asserts the moral bankruptcy of the nation. In no way we can unshoulder our collective responsibility in leakage scenarios which has prominently become the part of the official operations of the present regime. In job recruitment exams, university admission tests, all sorts of academic exams. including public exams. right from the the HSC down to the PEC everywhere we see the rampant practice of leaking the question papers well ahead of their legitimate moment of coming to light. This time the latest addition is the leakage incident of the questions of class two. With this leakage just at the initiating grade of education, the process of moral degenaration and the supreme triumph of the culture of institutional corruption have been completed.

I am at one with many others who firmly believe that the utmost integrity and the ferro-concrete commitment of the management can ensure a foolproof security of the question papers’ secrecy. Granted that we have become corrupted running only after undue privileges, still then it is quite possible to plug all possible channels of leakage once the management go all out against leakage corruption. The only thing   that is to be done by them in this respect is undeniably the toughest ever thing to rise above personal interests at any cost. If the managements of any other

country can manifestly display 100% integrity in this most sensitive issue why not we.

The core concept of proper management is based on the universally approved philosophy of right man in right place. How can we expect to get the best out of the managerial procedure once we make the wrong selections in our most important appointments. The all-engulfing partisan virus is clearly eating into every bit of our patriotic entity and collective commitment. Right from the supreme control down to the grass roots the the invisible thread of infinitely powered patriotism has long been sterilized in the face of upsurging tide of corruption and the dynamics of personal gains.

Although the custodian role of preserving the secrecy at the ultimate analysis falls on the concerned exam. conducting authority, the printing as well as the distribution channels relating to the question papers are unmistakably two genuine leakage loopholes. So far available evidences clearly show that most of the question papers have been leaked out through the hands of the people working in these outlets. Besides, teachers though comparatively to a fairly less degree have to share the responsibility of leaking question papers.

In the cases of public exams. question papers, for example, the ministry of education is the supreme management under which control, command and guidelines other sub-ordinating bodies and institutions work in preparing and distributing the question papers right to the exam. halls. So the incident of leakage at any point can be attributed primarily to the specific department specially entrusted with the responsibility of direct custodianship of that particular pocket. However, it is finally the ministry of education, education minister and at the ending point the executive head of the state who will have to mandatorily answer the question of why if we really mean the rule of accountability.

In the leakage incidents of all other exams., the pattern of responsibility sharing is more or less the same. In whatever fashion or pattern we divide the parts of the responsibility of leaking it is finally the state managementment authority that can hardly be spared of the responsibility of question paper leakage.

 We are extremely tired of the long practised reciprocal blame game. In one hand the investigations of the Anti-corruption Department clearly puts the blame  on the printing press workers, education board staff and the exam. hall authority,  the education minister from the other end is putting the blame absolutely on the teachers. I clearly remember here the incident of passenger ferry sinking of South Korea in which about 100 passenger died and as a reaction of which the shipping minister of South Korea took the whole responsibility and resigned forthwith. This is a practical instance of accountability. Is this sort of accountability practised in our country? Obviously not.

Unless and untill we detect the real culprits and deal a crushing blow to them then it will act as an examplary reference of punishment for the potential criminals tending to leak out the most sacred possessions of nation building apparatus. The authority or the management with the executive power of the state has to bell the cat.

The writer, Assistant Professor

of English of

Bogra Cantonment Public School & College, is a contributor to The Independent. E-mail: [email protected]