Sylhet college suspends teacher for examining HSC answer sheets at tea stall

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The authorities of a private college in Sylhet on Sunday suspended a teacher for evaluating answer scripts of Higher Secondary Certificate examination while spending time with friends at a tea stall on Saturday night.

Suspended Iqbal Hossain, nicknamed Sohan, is a lecturer in Bangla at Metrocity Women’s College in Shahjalal Upashahar in Sylhet city and an ex-student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

College principal Mazharul Haque Chowdhury confirmed to the punitive step taken against the teacher.

‘Iqbal was suspended following a decision taken by the college governing body in an emergency meeting at noon,’ he said, adding that further step would be taken against him after receiving a directive from the education board.

Earlier, a team from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sylhet, led by its controller of examinations professor Bilkis Yasmeen, picked up Iqbal from a tea stall adjacent to the SUST main entrance at around 11:00pm on Saturday.

‘At that time, Iqbal was examining answer scripts while hanging out with his two batch-mate friends, who were also helping him to evaluate the answer scripts of HSC examinees,’ an official of the education board said.

Professor Bilkis Yasmeen told that they seized 400 HSC exam answer scripts from the examiner’s possession at the tea stall.

‘We also picked him up from the tea stall and freed him after recording a general diary with the Jalalabad police station in the city over the matter,’ she said.

Sylhet education board chairman professor Md Anwar Hossain Chowdhury on Sunday afternoon told that they issued a show-cause notice to Iqbal Hossain asking him to explain his position within the next three days.

‘A three-member committee led by a college inspector Md Nazrul Islam of the board was also formed to investigate the allegations brought against Iqbal Hossain,’ he said, adding that the committee was asked to submit its report in the next three days.

‘Further steps would be taken against the examiner after receiving the probe report,’ he added.

Iqbal was not available in the afternoon for comments.