No ‘Grace Marks’ in SSC; WhatsApp Groups Formed to Prevent Question Leaks

Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milan, the Minister of Education and Primary and Mass Education, has outlined various measures to prevent cheating and irregularities in the SSC examinations. He also spoke candidly regarding the issue of "grace marks" (humanitarian marks) during the post-examination evaluation.

The Minister made these remarks during a press conference organized by the Ministry of Education on Monday (April 20) on the occasion of this year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations.

The Minister stated, "We are monitoring cybercrime closely. We have compiled a list of those who collect question papers from the police stations to ensure no crimes are committed. A monitoring cell has been established, and we have organized everything meticulously. We have also created a WhatsApp group including DCs and UNOs to maintain constant communication."

Regarding question leaks, the Minister added, "Our advisors prepared the question papers, but the distribution and the examination dates were set by the previous government. We are merely conducting the exams. We have verified whether the CCTV cameras at every center are functional or inactive."

He further noted, "The Public Examinations Act of 1980 has been sent to the Law Ministry within the last few days for amendments. The original law did not account for digital crimes; these have now been included. Additionally, the definitions within the examination act have been updated. Previously, it only covered 'Matric' and 'Inter,' excluding other types of examinations."

Addressing the issue of "grace marks" during script evaluation, the Minister clarified, "What we are doing is ensuring that our board examiners are given sufficient time to grade the papers. We have discussed whether the evaluation methods are accurate. No, we have not issued any instructions to provide 'humanitarian' or grace marks."

On the topic of coaching centers, the Minister remarked, "The need for coaching arises only when proper education is not provided in the classroom. Do we even have a list of coaching centers? We haven't even granted registration to coaching centers."

He concluded by stating that specific numbers and details have been forwarded to cyber specialists to determine how to better control cybercrimes related to the examinations.