A three-member inquiry committee has found negligence by the authorities of Government Ashek Mahmud College examination centre over an incident in which around 100 regular HSC candidates in Jamalpur were mistakenly given wrong question paper during yesterday’s Bangla Second Paper exam.

Instead of the 2026 version, they were handed question papers based on the 2025 syllabus.

The findings were confirmed this morning by Mohammad Sirajul Islam Mintu, deputy controller of examinations at the Mymensingh Education Board and head of the inquiry committee.

"Immediately after the incident, our investigation found gross negligence on the part of the college authorities. As a result, the examination management committee has been dissolved, and Principal Shawkat Alam Mir (of Ashek Mahmud college) has been served with a show-cause notice. The inquiry report will be submitted to the ministry as soon as possible," he said.

He, however, assured that the affected candidates would not suffer because of the mistake.

"The board stands by the students. The college authorities mistakenly distributed question papers from the reserve set. The responsibility lies entirely with them," he added.

The incident took place in Room No. 4202 at the Ashek Mahmud college examination centre, where all the affected candidates were from Government Zaheda Shafir Mohila College.

The error came to light after the examination when students discovered they had answered question papers prepared under the 2025 syllabus.

Professor Shawkat Alam said the question papers had arrived in sealed bundles containing 20 copies each.

"Five bundles were opened for Room No. 4202. Although every bundle was labelled as containing the 2026 question paper, the papers inside were actually based on the 2025 syllabus," he said.

He said invigilators had no opportunity to verify the contents before distributing the papers because the packets remained sealed until the examination began.

According to the principal, the question papers were originally meant for irregular and improvement candidates.

The matter was immediately reported to the education board, which instructed the centre authorities to send the answer scripts of the 100 affected candidates separately. The board also assured that the scripts would be assessed separately and evaluated leniently in line with the 2025 syllabus.

"I realised after the exam that the question paper clearly mentioned the 2025 syllabus. It was not our question paper," said examinee Tila Jamali.

Another examinee, Nusrat Jahan, said, "We are now worried about whether we will pass the examination or secure GPA-5."

According to sources at the examination centre, 69 irregular and improvement candidates were scheduled to sit the Bangla Second Paper examination there, while more than 900 candidates appeared at the centre.