New curriculum exams begin with questions leaks
The questions were sent to the head teachers’ IDs. Maybe, the head teachers mistakenly shared these questions, NCTB Chairman Professor Md Moshiuzzaman said
The leaks of questions on social media, hours before the half-yearly exams for grade 6 to 9 under the new curriculum began on Wednesday (3 July), have raised concerns among teachers, students, and parents.
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) provided exam questions to schools on Tuesday via the web and mobile platform "Noipunno", accessible to teachers with unique user IDs. Schools were then responsible for printing the question papers.
The questions were sent to the head teachers' IDs. Maybe, the head teachers mistakenly shared these questions
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But the questions were available with solutions on social media well ahead of the exams, according to parents and students.
A Dhaka school principal, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "We received the questions on the website yesterday [Tuesday]. I was instructed to print them for the students. It is unfortunate that the questions reached students before the exams. I only distributed them to teachers right before the exam began."
Parents expressed their concerns on a Facebook group named "Notun Curriculum Poribortone Ovibhabokder Prottasha" (Parents' Expectations Regarding New Curriculum Changes), many commenting that students were searching for leaked questions instead of studying the night before the exams.
One parent wrote, "Tomorrow is the so-called half-yearly assessment, yet the virtual world is already flooded with questions today."
A 7th-grade student, Junaira, said, "I heard about the leak but did not see the questions myself. I heard they leaked around 2am."
NCTB Chairman Professor Md Moshiuzzaman told The Business Standard, "These are not traditional questions. While revealing the content might not be a major concern, the problem lies in the questions circulating on social media.
"The questions were sent to the head teachers' IDs. Maybe, the head teachers mistakenly shared these questions. This is how they spread among students.
"The next exam is on 6 July. We will ensure that only head teachers access the questions. Any unauthorised ID detected will be subject to action. We will take necessary steps to prevent similar situations in the future."
Noipunno also serves as a platform for teachers to track student progress under the new curriculum.
'Would not significantly affect the exams'
Meanwhile, Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, at a function in Dhaka on Wednesday, commented on the question leak, stating it would not significantly affect the exams.
"Even if students know the questions beforehand, it is not an issue. There is nothing to leak, and it offers no benefit. Students must demonstrate competency through participation in activities," he said.
Currently, students from grade 6 to 9 are the first batch to take half yearly exams based on the new curriculum with questions provided by NCTB. These exams consist of 65% written content and 35% activity-based assessments, where student behaviour is also considered.
The new curriculum was introduced in grades 1, 6, and 7 last year on a pilot basis. This year, it has been expanded to grades 2, 3, 8, and 9. By 2027, it will be implemented in grade 12.
The current grade 9 students will be the first to take the SSC exam under the new curriculum, potentially in January 2026.
On 1 July, the National Curriculum Coordination Committee, along with Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, approved the new evaluation framework.
Under this framework, students can now apply for college even if they fail two subjects in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam. These students can pursue higher education while working to pass the remaining subjects.
The SSC exams grading system will also shift from a 1-5 Grade Point Average to an English letter grading system.
