Seven Cumilla College Teachers Transferred After Waterlogged HSC Examination Centre Incident

The Chronify

July 24, 2026

Seven teachers from Cumilla Government Women's College have been transferred to government colleges in different districts following controversy over the management of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations at a waterlogged examination centre earlier this month.

Seven teachers of Cumilla Government Women's College have been transferred to government colleges in several districts after the institution drew nationwide attention for conducting Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations at a waterlogged examination centre.

According to an official notification issued by the Ministry of Education, the teachers were first attached to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) as Officers on Special Duty before receiving new postings at government colleges in districts including Cox's Bazar, Sylhet, Barguna and others. The order, signed by Deputy Secretary Md A Kuddus, instructs the teachers to be released from their current workplace by 29 July.

The transferred officials are Vice Principal AKM Zahirul Alam, Professor of Mathematics Md Abdul Malek, Associate Professor of Botany Kanak Barua, Associate Professor of Islamic History and Culture Muhammad Ullah Majumder, Assistant Professor of Political Science Nur Mohammad Nur Ullah, Lecturer in Accounting Md Al Amin, and Associate Professor of English Mohammad Mohsin.

College sources said Vice Principal AKM Zahirul Alam was not directly involved in examination management because his son is among this year's HSC candidates. Professor Md Abdul Malek reportedly served as acting examination officer after senior faculty members declined to take responsibility for the role. Associate Professor Kanak Barua chaired the examination committee, while Associate Professor Mohammad Mohsin served as secretary of the college teachers' council.

The transfers follow widespread discussion over the condition of the examination centre after heavy rainfall on 13 July caused severe waterlogging across the college campus. Images and videos of students navigating flooded areas to reach examination halls quickly circulated on social media, drawing public attention to the situation.

Despite the challenging conditions, college authorities stated that examinations proceeded according to schedule and no candidates were absent because of the flooding. Teachers and volunteers worked together to help students safely reach the examination halls throughout the day.

To support candidates, Cumilla City Corporation Administrator Md Yusuf Molla Tipu arranged boats and transport vans, while volunteers from the organisation Bibek assisted students in crossing flooded sections of the campus. Members of the college faculty also took part in helping examinees access the venue safely.

The incident later prompted a visit by Cumilla-6 Member of Parliament Monirul Haque Chowdhury, who inspected the examination centre and met with college authorities on 18 July. During the visit, he reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with both the waterlogging situation and the management of the examination process, saying the incident had negatively affected the image of the government and the education sector.

College officials, however, maintained that the institution has served as an HSC examination centre since its establishment and argued that the extreme weather conditions were beyond their control. They emphasized that despite the flooding, examinations were completed without disruption and students received the necessary assistance.

A Ministry of Education official, speaking anonymously, described the transfers as routine administrative decisions, noting that the ministry has the authority to reassign government officials whenever necessary. The official did not indicate whether the transfers were directly linked to the waterlogging incident.

The transfers have since sparked discussion within academic circles, with attention focusing on the challenges educational institutions face during severe weather events and the importance of ensuring safe examination environments while maintaining uninterrupted public examinations.

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