A vested quarter including PSC staff and leaders of their student fronts, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), have been earning a large sum from sales of these leaked question papers.

The leak of question papers of the 27th BCS preliminary tests held on November 18 was the fourth in a row, beginning from the 24th BCS examinations in 2003 under the PSC chairmanship of Prof ZN Tahmida Begum who had been appointed in 2002.

Persistent allegations of such leaks of question papers of both the preliminary and written tests have been around for the last three years. According to PSC sources, 14,095 persons were appointed to the cadre and non-cadre services by the BNP-Jamaat led alliance government in the last four years while a total of 25,585 public servants were employed since the country won independence.

FRUSTRATION
The allegations of leaks have emerged anew after the question papers of recently held 27th BCS preliminary tests had been widely distributed across the country ahead of the exams. Educationists blame the alleged practice of the current regime of appointing officials to the PSC based on political persuasions, especially to the posts of the PSC chairman, members, controllers and senior officials, as the reason for proliferation of corruption surrounding the BCS entrance exams.

They emphasised on the urgent need to stop such appointments to put a stop to the leakage.

"Bright students are frustrated by the repeated leaks of question papers and corrupt people without merit are being recruited as government officials by dint of the leakage, which is very harmful for the nation," said Dr Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, an educationist.

"What will we expect from these officials whose entry process is corrupt," he said expressing dissatisfaction over the PSC's lack of action against the illegal practice.

BRISK BUSINESS
Despite repeated leaks, the PSC authorities and the government did not acknowledge it, let alone taking action.

A JCD leader of Shahidullah Hall in Dhaka University (DU) earned Tk 2 lakh by selling copies of the leaked question papers of the 27th BCS preliminary examinations in the residential hall, said another leader of the same student organisation on condition of anonymity.

He claimed that he himself earned Tk 20,000 within two hours in the morning just before the examination began.

"What will be the effect of writing against this illegal practice?....nothing....our top leaders in connivance with some PSC staff, who were politically appointed, are leaking out question papers to achieve two aims".one is earning a huge amount of money from sales and another is creating an opportunity to appoint their student leaders to government posts," a JCD leader of DU told this correspondent.

PSC'S DENIAL
PSC officials however said it had held several meetings following newspaper reports about the leaks on November 19, but had not formed any investigation committee, as no specific proof had been submitted before or during the examination.

PSC Member Dr Ashraful Islam Chowdhury suggested that law enforcers should be deployed at educational institutions, especially at university dormitories to check the illegal practice.

TH BCS EXAM
A good number of leader of the JCD and ICS were seen busy selling copies of leaked question papers among the candidates at different dormitories of different universities and at college hostels through out the country in the early hours of November 18.

JCD leaders were the first to start selling the copies from the extension building-1 of Shahidullah hall in DU at 2:00am. The news of the sale spread out like wild fire to other DU dormitories. Soon the leaked question papers spread out to the dormitories of other universities over cellphones.

In some instance as many as 98 of the 112 leaked multiple choice questions (MCQs) were found to be authentic, examinees said adding that the sale was started at 2:00am to prevent possible news-flash as most of the daily newspapers go to press before that time.

Denying any link between their activists and the leak, JCD President Azizul Bari Helal said, "We don't select the questions or get question papers before the exams. How can we engage in such an illegal act?"

A number of BCS candidates who have been continuously protesting against the leaks think that the reason behind the government's denial is that it wants to appoint its own men to the administration.

They demanded cancellation the controversial 27th BCS preliminary tests and termination of Prof Tahmida from her post.

OTHER CONTROVERSIAL BCS EXAMS
Question papers of the 24th BCS preliminary tests held on February 28, 2003 was also allegedly leaked and the PSC had to cancel the test.

PSC Chairman Prof ZN Tahmida Begum at first denied the allegation and termed it absolutely false and baseless.

But later, the commission formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegation and cancelled the test saying that the action was taken to meet the candidates' demand. No action was taken against the persons responsible for the leak though six were arrested with bundles of photocopies of the question papers.

"The PSC found about 10 of its officials involved in the question paper leak but did not publish the probe report," a source claimed, requesting anonymity.

Fresh preliminary tests were held on August 8, 2003, again amid allegation of leaks. This time also, the PSC denied the allegation and published the results after nine days.

The PSC also faces allegations of irregularities in the entrance exams for the posts of sub registrars, as well as in the mathematics and general science examinations for the 25th BCS held in the beginning of this year and in the MCQ tests for the 26th special BCS held on December 2004.