The photographs that shocked the nation eleven days ago are now having repercussions for the teachers at the school where they originated. Seven teachers from Cumilla Government Girls’ College—the institution where the students who took the HSC exam arrived by boat, wading through waist-deep water—have been appointed Officers on Commission (OSD) and assigned to government schools across the country.
The orders were issued via separate official notices on Thursday, July 23, signed by Md. A. Kuddus, Assistant Secretary of the Division of Government Schools No. 2 of the Division of Secondary and Higher Education. The school’s principal, Amena Begum, confirmed the notices.
Who Was Transferred, and Where
The seven teachers have been sent to colleges spread from the Chattogram coast to the far south and northeast — in several cases, hundreds of kilometres from Cumilla:
- A K M Zahirul Alam, Vice Principal → Chiora Government College, Chauddagram
- Md. Abdul Malek, Professor, Mathematics → Cox’s Bazar Government College
- Kanak Barua, Associate Professor, Botany → Hatiya Dwip Government College, Noakhali
- Dr. Muhammad Ullah Majumder, Associate Professor, Islamic History and Culture → Lakshmipur Government College
- Nur Mohammad Nur Ullah, Assistant Professor, Political Science → Nabinagar Government College, Brahmanbaria
- Md. Al-Amin, Lecturer, Accounting → Beanibazar Government College, Sylhet
- Mohammad Mohsin, Associate Professor, English → Barguna Government College
The Notification Gives No Reason
The most striking detail is this: the Ministry of Education’s official gazette does not specify the reason for the temporary suspension of the seven teachers, nor their subsequent reassignment to other positions.
The headmistress, Amena Begum, addressed the matter cautiously, describing the transfers as a routine administrative process within the civil service and noting that the Ministry of Education can transfer any employee at any time if it deems it necessary.
This formality contrasts sharply with the obvious timing: the orders were issued ten days after the incident that thrust the school into the national spotlight, and five days after a member of Parliament publicly criticized the school’s handling of the case.
Who Was Actually Responsible for the Exam?
College sources have added a layer of nuance that complicates any simple reading of the action.
According to these sources, Deputy Director A. K. M. Zahirul Alam was not directly responsible for administering the exam. Mathematics professor Md. Abdul Malek was serving in an interim capacity, apparently because the tenured professors had been reluctant to assume the role. Associate Professor Kanak Barua was the coordinator of the examination committee, and Associate Professor Mohammad Mohsin was the secretary of the faculty council.
In other words, the seven names listed in the notifications include both those with direct roles in managing the exam and at least one high-ranking figure who, according to the institution itself, was not in charge—a point that will likely spark debate among the faculty regarding how responsibility was assigned.
What Happened on July 13
The events that triggered all of this unfolded on July 13, when torrential rains left the Cumilla Government Girls’ College and much of the town underwater. Students taking the HSC exam faced serious difficulties reaching their exam center.
The response was improvised and, in its own way, extraordinary: the administrator of the Cumilla Municipal Corporation, Mr. Yusuf Molla Tipu, took the initiative and, with the help of the volunteer organization “Bibek,” the students were transported to the center by boat and van. The video of the students crossing to their exam room by boat went viral on social media within hours and became one of the most iconic images of this year’s HSC exam season nationwide.
As we reported at the time, the government account contextualized the exam disruption: approximately 987 students were at one of the 193 centers in the Cumilla district, with the exam delayed by an hour and guaranteed to last its full duration, while the administration arranged transportation, including the very same boats. But the images had already resonated deeply with the public: regardless of the logistics, seeing tenth and twelfth grade students rowing to an exam room was perceived by most as a failure of planning, rather than a triumph of improvisation.
On July 18, the MP for Cumilla-6, Monirul Haque Chowdhury, visited the university and openly expressed his discontent with both the flooding and the organization of the exams, stating that the incident had damaged the image of the government and the Ministry of Education.
The Wider Question
This measure comes at a time marked by administrative irregularities in the education sector: the suspension of civil servants for flawed questions on the Baccalaureate Physics exam, the suspension of a principal for leaking primary school scholarship results, and now, the reassignment of seven teachers following a controversy over flooding.
There are valid arguments on both sides. Exam centers must be prepared for the conditions of the time of year the tests are administered, and a center requiring boats was clearly not. Similarly, a university cannot drain floodwater, and the lack of notification regarding any specific reason leaves those affected without a clear explanation.
What is undeniable is the experience of the test-takers themselves, who took one of the most important exams of their lives after wading and rowing through floodwaters, and who, unlike the civil servants whose careers are at stake, cannot be transferred to a drier location.
We will report on any developments, including any official explanation from the ministry or responses from the teachers involved. Stay with us for continuous coverage of this year’s HSC season.
