Questions with 'communal connotations' in Rajshahi University entry test draw social media flak

What is the greatest book in the world? - a question in Rajshahi University admission test with four possible answers - a) Holy Qur'an. b) Holy Bible. c) Holy Injil. And d) Geeta.

Rajshahi University CorrespondentShafiqul Islam, bdnews24.com
Published : 26 Oct 2017, 05:06 PM
Updated : 26 Oct 2017, 05:33 PM

That was question No. 76 in I-Unit admission test for the Faculty of Fine Arts of the university.

The question No. 41 of the second set of the test reads: "On which date the Myanmar Army and armed Buddhists attacked Rohingya Muslims?"

Netizens have been flooding the social media with angry posts criticising the university authorities over such 'communal and suggestive' questions since the exam was held on Wednesday.

Salahuddin Sumon, a former student of the university, wrote on Facebook that even 'radical Qawmi madrasas wouldn't pick such a question about the best book, let alone a university'.

"It will be an insult to the people even if the question setters are called ignorant," he observed.

He said the appointment of teachers on political ground and from group quotas were to be blamed for this.

Another student, Abdul Mozid Ontor, asked in his post: "Who has given them the authority to belittle other religious beliefs? Don't such communal questions undermine the image of the fine arts faculty and the higher educational institution?" 

Jakir Hossain Tomal demanded a trial of those who made the question paper for 'supporting communalism and showing no sense of responsibility'. There are no signs of stopping such bizarre incidents in the universities.

Jubaer Alam wrote he often feels 'ashamed' for his university 'where there is no statue or picture of Dr Qudrat-e-Khuda, Satyen Bose, Isaac Newton, or Jibananda Das'.

"It only adversities politics, bringing processions by violating rules, distributing leaflets promoting student politics....even there is no good bookshop. The pavements here are full of guidebooks on BCS and jobs.

"And when these types of questions are chosen for admission test, I can only hide my face in shame," he added.   

Several students' organisations demonstrated on the campus demanding punishment of the people who made the question paper.

Prgatishil Chhatrojote, a platform of progressive students' organisations, and the Kendriyo Sangskritik Jote, the central platform of the university's cultural activists, organised a human-chain programme on Thursday afternoon.

Pradip Mardi, president of the university unit of Biplobi Chhatra Moitree, said at the programme that the 'communal' questions were 'insults' to the university.  

What the authorities say?

Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Mustafizur Rahman said those questions should not have been included on the question sheet.

"We've initially decided to give the candidates two marks for those two questions," he said.

According to him, the main committee on making the question papers include chairpersons of departments and the dean.

"They collect questions and review those. We are checking how such questions made way to the question sheet. The final decision will be taken after discussions with chairpersons of the departments," he added.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Ananda Kumar Saha said, "this is a very serious issue."

"But I think the question makers did not include those intentionally. It was an incident of mere carelessness.

"The question makers will be warned against recurrence of such incidents," he said.