Question Errors: Mistake also in suspending the official concerned

The government yesterday suspended an official over the mistakes in question papers of English-version primary terminal examination.

The order issued by the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, however, failed to mention his work place and designation correctly.

According to the order, Abdul Mannan, an assistant upazila education officer in Sadullahpur of Gaibandha, is suspended.

But education officer of the upazila Nur Mohammad said Mannan never worked in his office and that he was an assistant instructor at the upazila resource centre a year ago.

"Getting a promotion a year ago, he [Mannan] went to Sunamganj in Sylhet," he said.

A ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Mannan was attached to the National Academy for Primary Education (Nape) in Mymensingh, the organisation that set the question paper.

He added that Nape informed the ministry that Mannan was in charge of translating the questions and he was suspended on the basis of information provided by the organisation.

This newspaper tried to contact Secretary Mohammad Asif-Uz-Zaman of the ministry and Nape Director General Md Shah Alam, but they did not pick up their phones.

The question papers for fifth graders for Bangladesh and Global Studies was riddled with numerous mistakes in all segments.

Besides grammatical errors, options in some MCQs were confusing, making it hard for children of 11 to comprehend. The issue triggered a firestorm on social media and people continued to slam the gross mistakes.

Yesterday's ministry order, signed by Mohammad Asif-Uz-Zaman, said suspended Mannan would not get subsistence allowance during the period as per law.