If exam papers are being stolen, the priority has to be improving security measures. F for fail, try again
The education minister has floated the idea of blocking mobile phones and social media networks such as Facebook as a way to stop cheating in exams by blocking the advance dissemination of questions.
If this was merely a catchy way to grab headlines and demonstrate the earnestness of the government in clamping down on exam cheats, it might have been tolerable.
However, the minister, who has formed a 25-member committee headed by an additional secretary to supervise public examinations, has reportedly asked the BTCL to determine if this proposal could actually be implemented legally.
This is an appalling waste of time and effort, as the idea is clearly both objectionable and unworkable.
It should go without saying that if sealed exam papers are being copied and stolen, then the priority has to be for the ministry and law enforcers to catch the culprits responsible and to implement more watertight security measures.
The very idea that blocking phone networks and Facebook might be an appropriate way to stop exam cheats is so outlandish that it raises doubts about the quality of the advice that the minister is receiving. It ignores the fact that stolen questions can be photocopied and that other even more technologically connected countries manage to keep papers secure perfectly well.
It is inconceivable that gross interference in basic means of communications would not do more harm than good, even if it were practical.
By espousing such a bad idea, the minister only gives comfort to perpetrators. F for fail, try again.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
