Exams cannot be suspended by a single person’s decision, says education adviser

Education Adviser Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar says the decision to suspend the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams after the fighter jet crash at Milestone School and College in Dhaka was delayed because such decisions cannot be made at the whim of a single person.

He mentioned that after the incident, parents’ groups proposed to both continue and defer the exams.

The adviser spoke to the media at his office at the Secretariat on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.

After Monday’s jet crash that left 29 people dead and over 50 injured, demands began coming in from numerous quarters to suspend the next day’s exams.

However, the government finally announced its decision to scrap the day’s exam around 3am on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, a group of students besieged the Secretariat all day to demand the resignation of the education adviser and the education secretary over this incident.

Under pressure, the government suspended the education secretary that day.

When a journalist asked on Wednesday whether he would resign, the education adviser became visibly angry.

He said, “That is the government’s decision. There has been no mismanagement here. If needed, file a lawsuit or go to court. If people don’t show the minimum courtesy, then it won’t be possible for us to speak.”

Claiming there was no mismanagement in the ministry after the aircraft crash, he said: “The secretary was relieved following the decision of a higher committee. I was not involved in that process.”

“I do not think there has been any disruption in my work. There are authorities who have appointed me. If they ask me to step down, I will certainly do so. I have no desire to cling to the position.”

Referring to the delay in postponing the exams, he said: “Many students and parents asked why the decision to suspend the exams was not taken sooner. The reality is that such a decision cannot be taken suddenly.”

“Even rolling back the schedule takes some time. It would have been better if it had been taken earlier, but it could not be done for justifiable reasons. Setting the exam schedule and postponing exams for any reason must follow certain procedures.”

He said, “There is a misconception that such decisions can be made unilaterally. That is not correct. Due process was followed in postponing the exams.”

On Tuesday, amid the protests demanding the adviser’s resignation at the Secretariat, Abrar was also trapped at Milestone School and College in Uttara. After nearly nine hours, he, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam were able to leave the scene.

Describing the incident, the adviser said: “We went there formally on behalf of the government to offer condolences. Our second purpose was to contact the affected families.

“Before we arrived, we had received a list of six demands. We said the demands were very reasonable. One or two demands were slightly modified. We thought it would end there.”

“But for some reason, our stay was prolonged. People from outside also came in. We never wanted to leave by force. We tried to ensure that no force would be applied there. We were mentally prepared to stay for one or two days if necessary. Accordingly, we waited and left afterwards.”

Abrar said several of the six demands presented by the Milestone students had already been implemented by the government.

“Before we went there, we had decided to form a control room comprising the ministry, school authorities, students, and the alumni association. Updated information will be provided from this room.”

About claims that the number of deaths was being downplayed or reduced, he said: “The incident happened in a specific location where every student’s name is listed. Teachers’ names are also there.

“If such an accident occurred in a market or railway station, it would be difficult to count the dead. We have instructed the school authority to hand over the student list. If any student is missing, the authority must take responsibility. As far as I know, such a situation has not occurred.”