Reluctance of Examiners in SSC Paper Evaluation Raises Concern Over Result Publication

PNN News Desk, Dhaka
Due to reluctance among examiners in evaluating answer scripts of this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations, uncertainty has arisen regarding the timely publication of results. Officials of education boards concerned said that delays in collecting and evaluating answer sheets are putting the entire result publication process under pressure.

Several teachers assigned as examiners stated that low remuneration, delays in receiving payment, transportation difficulties, and the pressure of evaluating a large number of scripts within a limited time have created disinterest among examiners.

According to teachers, each examiner is usually assigned to evaluate 200 to 250 answer scripts. However, it becomes difficult to complete such a large number of scripts within the stipulated time. In addition, extra time is required to collect and submit scripts to the board. In many cases, teachers do not get necessary leave from their institutions.

On the other hand, education board officials claim that remuneration for script evaluation has been increased compared to before and efforts are being made to ensure timely payment. According to them, delays in receiving payments are often caused by complications related to teachers’ bank accounts.

The chairman of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee and Chairman of Dhaka Education Board, Professor Dr. Khondoker Ehsanul Kabir, said that compared to last year, the remuneration per script has been increased this year. He also said that to reduce pressure on examiners, the policy of assigning a limited number of scripts per examiner is being followed.

However, field-level teachers do not agree with this statement. They complain that in reality, it takes a long time to receive payments. Moreover, the TA-DA provided for script evaluation is also insufficient compared to requirements. Fear of administrative accountability for minor mistakes also discourages many teachers.

Meanwhile, concerns increased after 235 examiners assigned to evaluate SSC Bangla First Paper did not collect their scripts within the deadline. Later, the education board was forced to publish the list of concerned examiners. According to board sources, even after repeated communication and SMS notifications, they did not respond to collect scripts.

A notice issued by the education board stated that negligence in receiving and evaluating answer scripts will be considered a dereliction of duty. It also warned that administrative action may be taken against concerned examiners if necessary.

At the same time, heads of institutions have also been instructed to ensure collection of scripts by examiners. Education stakeholders fear that if this crisis is not resolved quickly, the SSC result publication may go beyond the scheduled time.