In the latest story to become social media fodder, Tamanna Nusrat, a member of parliament from Bangladesh, was found to have used unfair means to clear multiple examinations.
According to the Guardian, Nusrat, who was enrolled in the Bangladesh Open University (BOU) as a student of Bachelor of Arts, had used eight impersonators to write 13 examination papers for her. The truth of her misconduct came to light when Nagorik TV, a public broadcaster based in Bangladesh, entered one of the exam centres of BOU and confronted Nusrat’s impersonator.
Nusrat, who was elected to the Bangladesh parliament last year, has now been expelled from the university after the incident came to light.
“We expelled her because she has committed a crime,” Bangladesh Open University head M.A. Mannan told AFP. “A crime is a crime…We have cancelled her enrolment. She will never be able to get admitted again.”
The Guardian’s tweet on October 21 shared a side-by-side comparison of Nusrat and the impersonator at the examination centre.
Bangladeshi MP allegedly hired eight lookalikes to take her place in exams https://t.co/8nD2gEhQ1t
— The Guardian (@guardian) October 21, 2019
As a member of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, Nusrat occupies one of the 50 seats reserved for women. She also comes from an affluent family with its roots in the Narsindi district of Bangladesh.
The malpractice by Jahan had been common knowledge among the university students and the faculty for a couple of years now. Only with Nagorik TV’s intervention did it enter the public spotlight.
“The proxy students were protected by the MP’S musclemen when they sat for tests. Everybody knew it but nobody uttered a word because she is from a very influential family” an unnamed college official said.
On the day that the story broke out, Twitter had a field day trolling the politician.
How do you find eight lookalikes? This alone should get her a degree.
— GB (@gopalbx) October 21, 2019
Trump has relatives in Bangladeshi?
— Janey Mack (@JaneySmack) October 21, 2019
India is also infamous with regard to misconduct during examinations.
This month, an Indian college made students wear boxes on their heads while writing an examination. The photos of the test went viral.
Nothing explains the Indian Education system better than this picture….it literally forces students to think within the box and spit it all out during an exam! pic.twitter.com/7YiVZgw9mW
— Rashi Kakkar (@rashi_kakkar) October 20, 2019
The array of offences that Indian schools account for, particularly during board examinations, include mass copying, use of mobile phones and sending out impersonators, among other tricks.
In states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, criminal gangs can go to extreme lengths to ensure that their clients pass examinations. From leaking question papers to infiltrating examination centres and putting teachers and invigilators on payrolls, the examination system in India is in no prettier a condition than the one in Bangladesh.
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