HSC 2023: Tampered result of ex-Chattogram board secretary’s son finally cancelled
Accused Prof Narayan Chandra Nath, now an OSD, is set to face disciplinary action and criminal charges
After a series of drama, the 2023 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination result of the son of Prof Narayan Chandra Nath, the former secretary of the Intermediate and Secondary Education Board, Chattogram, has been officially cancelled.
The board's Chairman Prof Rezaul Karim announced the decision at a press briefing at his office in the port city on Thursday evening (25 October), after a meeting where the board's disciplinary committee confirmed the allegations of result fraud levelled against Narayan.
Narayan's son Nakshatra Chandra Nath, a student of Chittagong Cantonment School and College, had controversially secured GPA 5 in last year's HSC exams even though he failed the pre-examination test.
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The result sparked widespread scrutiny and allegations of manipulation, especially since Narayan at the time held the position of exam controller on the board.
After the fraud was exposed, Narayan was transferred from his post at the education board to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Chattogram Zone as its director on 9 July, 2024, instead of facing departmental action.
However, a DSHE investigation, ordered by the Ministry of Education following a Cabinet Division directive, started soon after and its findings were submitted on 4 August, which found Narayan guilty of manipulating his son's HSC exam results.
On 15 September, a month after the ouster of the Awami League government, the ministry in a directive, addressed to the DSHE director general, outlined the need for disciplinary action against Narayan under the Government Servants (Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules, 2018.
It also directed the Chattogram education board chairman to file criminal charges against the high-ranking education official and all individuals involved in the fraudulent activity, through which, according to the DSHE findings, Narayan ensured his son received GPA 5.
On 23 September, Narayan was made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
The controversy surrounding the exam results began when an unidentified person applied online for a review of the HSC result, published on 26 November last year, of Narayan's son. His wife Banashree Das even lodged a general diary with the police, denying any application for a review of their son's results.
Allegations also arose that an appeal had been made to the Chattogram board chairman to ignore the review application, a claim that was later denied by then chairman Prof Mustafa Kamrul Akhtar.
The drama escalated in January this year, when two former secretaries of the Chattogram education board, Prof Abdul Alim and Prof Idris Ali, were sued under the Cyber Security Act for speaking publicly about the incident. That case is still under police investigation.
Despite ministry directives, the investigation into the matter faced several delays. An inquiry committee finally summoned Prof Narayan in May, but he sought a postponement through the High Court. The case remained unresolved until the court quashed his petition and the investigation resumed.
