DU hall Shibir leader punished for cheating by using phone in toilet during exam

Campus Correspondent

The university administration has punished Shibir leader, an elected executive member of the Haji Muhammad Muhsin Hall Sangsad, for cheating in an examination at Dhaka University.

The punished Shibir leader is named Md. Ferdaus. He is a student of the 18th batch of the 2023-24 academic year of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism. He was elected as an executive member from the Shibir-supported panel in the last parliamentary elections.

According to the university syndicate’s decision, Ferdous has been punished for a period of ‘exam + 1’. Under this, the exam in which the allegations of cheating were proven, as well as being banned from participating in a subsequent exam, has been cancelled.

As a result, the examination for course number 107 of the concerned student has been cancelled and he will have to refrain from participating in the examination for the next full academic year or semester.

It is learned that during the retake exam of course number 107 of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Ferdous left the exam hall at around 11:00 am, saying he was going to the toilet. Later, he went to the department’s corridor and tried to find the answers to the exam questions by taking a smartphone from a senior student.

At that time, the teachers in charge detained him. Then, citing evidence of misconduct, the teacher in charge reported his notebook as per the rules and sent it to the office of the Controller of Examinations.

Later, the matter was sent to the Disciplinary Council as per the university rules.

Based on the recommendation of the Disciplinary Council held on August 20, the final decision on the punishment was taken at the university syndicate meeting held on August 31 under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam. On September 7, an order signed by Acting Controller of Examinations Dr. Himadri Shekhar Chakraborty confirmed the matter.

In the same syndicate meeting, a total of 64 students from various departments, institutes and affiliated institutions of Dhaka University, including Shibir leader Ferdaus, were punished for three terms – ‘Exam + 1’, ‘Exam + 2’ and ‘Exam + 3’ – for various crimes including cheating in exams.

In this regard, the punished student camp leader Md. Ferdaus claimed that his younger brother had been sick since the night before the exam. On the morning of the exam, he tried to call home to check on his physical condition.

During the exam, when I needed to go to the toilet, I met an elder brother of the department as I was leaving the hall. I used his phone to call home to check on my younger brother’s health. The teacher in charge noticed the matter and later I was brought under disciplinary action.