This year’s SSC examinations commenced on Saturday with the Bangla first paper starting at 10am.

Many students from two previous sessions (2017 and 2018) were also sitting for the exam as irregulars and seating arrangement in many centers put them with the regular students. Primarily, that is being put forward as the cause behind the gross mismanagement, and the centre secretaries are being held responsible in most cases.

According to reports coming in from various parts of the country, many candidates were given the 2018 exam paper at first. Only after the mistake came to light did the authorities replace them with the correct one meant for 2019 examinees, or take the exams again (where the fact came out only after the exam).

But in at least two districts, the mistake went unacknowledged till after the exam and students there face uncertainty over whether their Bangla I exams will be held again or not.

In Chattogram, examinees sitting in eight centres were supplied the 2018 question paper.

Chattogram Education Board Exam Controller Md Mahbub Hasan said that errors were reported at seven centres under the supervision of the Chattogram Education Board and one under the Dhaka Education Board.

“Due to the errors of the centre secretaries, students who were to sit for the 2019 syllabus were given question papers set according to the 2018 syllabus,” he said.

He also said that centre secretaries of the said eight centers have been served with showcause notices.

In Satkhira, examinations of 48 students were taken on the question paper of 2018 at Champafal APC School centre in Kaliganj upazila.

The issue only came to light after the exam was over, at which point centre authorities took the exam anew with the correct question paper, with permission from the board authority of Jashore.

Later, Kaliganj Upazila Executive Magistrate relieved three school staff including secretary of the exam centre of their duties.

In Munshiganj, at least 78 students faced the same fate of sitting their exams on last year’s question papers at AVJM Government High School. The mistake didn’t come to light till later and the students are now in an uncertain position.

“We have informed the matter to the controller office to take necessary steps ahead,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Asma Shahin.

In Manikganj, around 600 hundred students of Doulatpur PS Government Model High School in Doulatpur upazila staged a demonstration in front of the centre after they were forced to sit their exams with the question paper from previous year.

The furious SSC candidates claimed that they were given the 2018 question paper for their Multiple Choice Question section, and hall authorities tried to hide their mistake during the examination.

In Gaibandha, at Fakirhat Dimukhi High School centre, previous year’s question papers were provided to 110 candidates.

Later, the school headmaster and Centre Secretary Md Shafiqul Islam was issued instant show-cause notice.

In Panchagarh, examinees at Atowari Government High School were given the 2018 question paper which students returned to the examination hall secretary after 20 minutes. They were then given the correct question paper, but only seven extra minutes to finish their exams.

The same incident took place at Pilot Girls School and College exam centre in Boda Upazila where examinees got the correct question paper 20 minutes late.

In Cumilla, the right question paper was distributed 45 minutes late as the fourth set of was missing from the bundle at Duaria AG Model Academy in Debidar upazila.

The academy principal and examination centre secretary Md Abu Selim Bhuiyan was suspended after the incident.

In Chandpur, the students were first provided with question paper of 2018 at Rampur High School and Hajiganj Girls' Pilot High School centres, said Hajiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Boishakhi Barua. Later they were replaced.

Dhaka Education Board Chairman Ziaul Haque told UNB, “Some incidents of distribution of wrong question papers have been reported. We are collecting details of these incidents and will take necessary steps in this regard.”

The students were provided with extra time to finish their exams after issuing the right question papers, he added. But as reported, in many cases the extra time provided was not adequate.

Meanwhile, a total of 1788319 students appeared in this year’s SSC exam while 10387 were absent. Twenty-four students countrywide were expelled for various reasons.