Dropped candidates of 18th teachers' registration viva hold sit-in demanding re-evaluation

A group of candidates who were dropped at the viva voce stage of the 18th Non-Government Teachers' Registration Examination are staging a sit-in protest, demanding a re-evaluation of the results and the issuance of registration certificates.

Since 8:00am today, the protesters have been demonstrating in front of the Non-Government Teachers Registration & Certification Authority (NTRCA) office in the capital's Eskaton area.

At one point, around one thousand protesters gathered at the site. Later, a five-member delegation was allowed into the NTRCA office to hold discussions with officials.
The demonstrators allege that over 30% of the candidates were failed in the viva stage, which they claim is unprecedented.

Nazrul Islam, a protester who came from Cumilla, said, "Many of us were asked only a single question in the viva, which we answered correctly. Still, we were marked as unsuccessful."

Earlier, on 11 June, the candidates held a rally, demanding a re-evaluation of the results. During the event, they also warned of launching a sit-in protest in front of the NTRCA office.

The aggrieved candidates allege that around 23,000 applicants were subjected to discrimination and injustice in the viva process. Many of them claim to have answered all questions correctly, yet were marked as failed.

They placed a seven-point demand, calling for a re-evaluation of the results and elimination of all forms of discrimination.

First, they are calling for a re-evaluation of the viva results for all candidates of the 18th Teachers' Registration Examination. Second, they questioned the inconsistency in pass rates across different boards – while some boards saw only 1 out of 30 candidates pass, others had 27 out of 30 pass. They demand an explanation and resolution of such disparities.

Third, they called attention to the unusually low pass rate this year compared to previous years, urging authorities to address this issue.

Fourth, they noted that this year's written exam was significantly more difficult than in previous years and lacked any optional questions. Therefore, they demand that all candidates who sat for the viva be granted certification.

Fifth, they argued that the wide discrepancies between this year's examination process and those of past years raise serious concerns about fairness and neutrality in the results – concerns that must be addressed.

Sixth, they called for an investigation into any possible inconsistencies or irregularities in the result preparation process.

Finally, they demanded a proper and transparent review of the 18th viva results to ensure justice for all affected candidates.