"We Didn't Set the Questions, the Previous Government Did": Education Minister on Question Errors

Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon has defended his administration against criticisms regarding technical errors in the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) question papers, shifting the blame to the previous government while assuring students that they will not be penalized.

The minister clarified that public exam question papers and their moderation processes begin nearly two years in advance. Since the current administration assumed office only four months ago, the examinations are being conducted using question papers prepared and finalized by the previous government's moderation committees.

The statement was made on Tuesday (July 14) during a parliamentary session in response to a supplementary question from Rumeen Farhana, the independent Member of Parliament representing the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency.

Addressing the controversy surrounding Monday's Physics First Paper, where multiple discrepancies were identified, the minister stated:

"Questions 6 and 7 of the Physics First Paper indeed contained technical errors. Immediately after the errors were identified, we made the decision that all candidates would be awarded full marks for those two questions, regardless of whether they attempted them."

Responding to MP Rumeen Farhana’s inquiry about why the high-stakes examinations were not postponed by a few days despite severe waterlogging in major cities, Minister Milon maintained that the decision to proceed was backed by systematic field reports.

He explained that the ministry coordinated extensively with district administrations, field officers, and meteorological authorities before taking the final call. Out of approximately 2,700 examination centers across the country, only Comilla Government Women’s College faced severe waterlogging. The local administration immediately stepped in, utilizing boats to transport candidates to a five-story building where they could safely sit for the exam.

The minister emphasized that local administrations—including Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), and local police—have been fully authorized to make immediate, localized decisions on postponing or shifting exams if severe weather poses a safety hazard in specific areas.

He concluded by reassuring the house that the government remains deeply sensitive to the physical and mental hardships faced by the candidates and is continuously monitoring the countrywide situation to ensure their safety and academic interests.