Eden College’s selection test question paper ‘recycled’ to conduct National University’s final exam

The National University administered the final examination of a paper of sociology two days ago on the same question paper on which a Dhaka college had taken selection test for the master’s final year.

The examination on the subject ‘Theory of modern sociology' was held across the country on Monday.

But the examinees and their guardians were dismayed to find the question paper was the exact copy of the one on which the Eden Mohila College conducted its selection test in March.

College Principal Professor Hosne Ara, too, was equally taken by surprise.

She said those teachers who could not set question paper of their own had no right to be in the question paper moderation committee.

“I strongly denounce those teachers who recycle the question paper of a college’s test examination and then take money for being the member of the question paper moderation committee,” Professor Ara told bdnews24.com on Thursday.

Vice Chancellor of the National University Professor Harun-or-Rashid told bdnews24.com that none from the Eden College was in the five-member examination panel.

He said they would see how the two question papers matched.

In both the question papers of 100 marks each, examinees were asked to answer five questions out of 10.

Descriptive-type questions from number one to nine were similar in both the question papers.

Though there were slight variations in the construction of sentences in some questions, the two sets of question papers were essentially the same.

Even the serialisation of the questions was also identical.

In the 10th question, examinees were asked to write short notes on two topics out of four choices.

Of these short notes choices, three were the same as those of Eden College’s. Only one topic was dissimilar and that was the only difference in these two sets of question papers.

Apart from that, the National University, unlike Eden College, had given English translation along with Bangla in the question paper.

An examinee told bdnews24.com, “Students generally collect selection test question papers of all the colleges while preparing for the final examination.

“Sometimes one or two questions can be common, but how could it be that all the questions were same!”

He demanded proper investigation to find out how it had happened.

The principal of the Eden College said it happened because the National University had retained the same committee for the “moderation” of question papers for the past several years.

A day after the exam when the matter was brought to the notice of NU’s Controller of Examination Badruzzaman, he told bdnews24.com the two question papers could never be the same.

“Question paper was set after amalgamating questionnaires taken from two teachers,” he said.

But when he was told bdnews24.com was in the possession of both sets of similar question papers, he said, “Give it to me, I will verify it. Nobody complained about it to me.”

National University VC Harun-or-Rashid on Thursday said it was clear that it had happened because of the lack of awareness of the examination committee.

“We will form a committee to look into the matter,” he added.

The next course of action would be determined based on committee’s report, the VC said. 

However, when asked whether that particular examination would be cancelled, he simply said, “No.”