Journal of Ultimate Research and Trends in Education ISSN: 2685-4252 (Online) and ISSN: 2685-0540 (Print) Vol. 4, No. 2, Juli 2022, pp: 101 – 121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v4i2.8432 101 The Dearth of Distinct Exam Centres in Bangladesh: Teaching and learning Disruptions for Closures during Public Examinations Md. Abdul Qader Tarash College, National University, Tarash, Bangladesh aksarker48@gmail.com ARTICLE HISTORY Received : 2021-11-16 Revised : 2022-07-15 Accepted : 2022-07-20 KEYWORDS Public exams in Bangladesh Scarcity of exam-erections Mismanagement of exam-venue Frequent closures of institutions Teaching-learning Interruption ABSTRACT In the education setting, examinations are generally well-thought-out assessment methods. These are not only powerful ways of improving learning but also assessing whatever learners have learned. But when these examinations disturb teaching and learning, what circumstances will emerge in this educational setting? In Bangladesh, some schools and colleges are governmentally selected as the centers of various public examinations. During these examinations, those educational institutions' teaching and learning activities were closed down for imposing section 144 in 400 yards around the centers. For this reason, it is difficult to complete the syllabus of all subjects, and the teaching and learning process of those institutions is hampered. The manuscript intended to focus on the degree of level of the problem created by interrupted teaching and learning of those centre schools and colleges during public examinations in Bangladesh. It also aimed at finding out the actual solution to the problem. The research was conducted in a mixed method prioritizing the quantitative method. Three instruments of data collection were used: Questionnaire-survey among 157 participants concerned with teaching and learning, directly and indirectly, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) among eight educational administrators, and Content Analysis (CA) of existing knowledge or remaining relevant data from various local newspapers: daily star, daily observer, daily Prothom Alo, etc. The manuscript also recommends a solution that government should construct distinct exam-complex (multi-storied buildings) in each sub-district in the countries like Bangladesh. Finally, the research work is significant for the examination management of Bangladesh and other countries like Bangladesh. 1. Introduction Examination, an inevitable part of education, assesses and evaluates learners’ knowledge in a specific subject. It can be defined as testing the understanding level of the knowledge of a learner or person. (Pintrich, 2010). Each question in the exam is given a grade based on the level of knowledge it necessitates. The learners must respond to the questions on the tests. Marks are assigned depending on the quality of a student's responses in an examination. The results of the exam are used to evaluate the students. As examinations are designed to test the knowledge and skills of learners (al Amin & Greenwood, 2018), it is very significant for the education system worldwide. But what a strange matter when these examinations become disturbing to the teaching and learning continuation of some schools and colleges that are used as the venues or centres of the public examinations in developing countries like Bangladesh. When these educational institutions have to maintain public exams: grade-8, grade-10, grade-12, and undergraduate programs frequently in a year, they lack enough infrastructure to accommodate many examinees. Then they must close teaching and learning of other classes for a recurrent and long time. Besides, these types of the country cannot afford available and exclusive exam centers due to resource constraints. These public examinations took many days in a year, such as grade 8 took about 15-18 days, grade 10 took 20-30 days, grade 12 took 40-45 days, and undergraduate took about 60 days. The study observed only the exam routines of grade-8, grade-10, grade-12, and undergraduate of 2019 in Bangladesh. In the HSC exam in 2019, it was apparent that the written exam started form 01/04/2019 and ended on 11/05/2019. Besides, the practical exam started form 12/05/2019 and ended at 21/05/2019. So, it took 50 days to complete the examinations, although the days might be https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v4i2.8432 102 increased or decreased every year, and the exam-center educational institutions (venues) were to be closed down within the days (Dhaka, 2019) The written test for the SSC exam in 2019 began on February 2nd and finished on February 25th. Furthermore, the practical test began on February 27th and were completed on March 5th, 2019. Thus, the tests required 33 days to complete, albeit the days may vary from year to year, and the exam-center educational institutions (venues) were to close down within the days (SSC, 2019). In the JSC exam schedule for 2019, the test for the JSC exam began on November 2nd and ended on November 11th. As a result, the examinations took 13 days to complete, though this varies from year to year, and the exam-centre educational institutions (venues) were compelled to close within those days. (Education ministry approves routines for JSC, SSC, 2019). Currently, the country has 30,000 secondary schools and madrasas. In 2018, 3,412 served as SSC and comparable test centers, 2,541 HSC and equivalent exam centers, and 2,903 JSC exam centers. Around 1,000 institutions, according to the Dhaka Education Board, organize at least two public exams. All three tests are held in another 400 schools and madrasas, meaning these institutions will be closed for 230 days, or nearly eight months (Mohiuddin, 2019). In the same way, many schools. Colleges and madrasahs are used as the centers of public examinations, including Junior School Certificate (JSC), Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), and Bachelor of Arts (B.A) around the year in Bangladesh. During these public examinations, teaching and learning activities of those center/ venue schools and colleges are closed down for imposing section 144 in 400 yards around the centers. Besides, top center schools and colleges are not capable of continuing teaching-learning activities along with these public exams due to infrastructure constraints on the premises. So, the authority is compelled to frequently close down their schools and colleges for a long time. Thus, completing the syllabus of all subjects in every class becomes difficult, and those institutions' teaching and learning processes lagged. According to education board officials, annual holidays and other closures consume more than half of an academic year at many secondary-level educational institutions, requiring students to hire private tutors. Teachers at those colleges also struggle to complete the curriculum in less than half the time allotted. As a result, instructors and analysts say, they hurry through the curriculum to prepare kids, lowering the quality of education. (Alamgir, 2019). Moreover, most developing countries like Bangladesh have no exclusive exam centers for public examinations in the suburb of Upazila (sub-district) and district level. So, all academic or public examinations are held in specific schools, colleges, and madrasah that must close teaching and learning of other classes to maintain those public examinations. In these circumstances, the exam-center educational institutions are closed for a long time. As a result, its learners are deprived of a requisite number of classes and credit hours in their sessions. So, the manuscript aimed at finding out statistically how many classes or credit hours of the center schools, colleges and madrasahs are being interrupted for those public examinations in a year, and raising awareness of the government about the remaining issue, and suggesting the concerned authorities to solve the mentioned educational management problem by building up multi-storied examination complexes in each Upazila head quarter. The author also expected to find out the degree of problems in educational mismanagement in Bangladesh and draw out an authentic solution (Building up exclusive exam complexes at every Upazila headquarter) so that no educational institution would be used as the venue for any public examination. Besides, numerous significant objectives of the research were stated below: a) To create awareness among the public sectors, government, and especially the concerned authorities about the teaching-learning problem in exam-center (venue) educational institutions during public examinations for long closure, and make them build exclusive exam complexes in every sub-district and district level. b) To stop frequent closure and continue teaching and learning ceaselessly in Bangladesh. c) To standardize the quality of national education in developing countries like Bangladesh. According to the study objectives, the author collected data to discover answers or solutions to the following research issues or problems. Because the best result and solution to the research problem may be the proper replies. As a result, the author anticipated getting the answers to the following study questions: 1) How can public examinations be conducted in Bangladesh without interrupting teaching and learning? 2) How do public examinations interrupt the teaching and learning of exam-center (venue) educational institutions? 3) Do the public examinations disrupt the teaching and learning of exam-center (venue) educational institutions? According to the traditional system of conducting the public examination in Bangladesh, every public examination (JSC, SSC, HSC, B.A) and the relevant is held in some exam-center/ venue schools, colleges, and madrasahs to be closed due to imposing 144 in the exam-centers. Besides, to the opinion of the government education management in Bangladesh, 103 these closures hardly interrupt the continuity of teaching and learning of those exam-center schools, colleges, and madrasah. In the alternative hypothesis, according to the present prospectus of happening public examinations in schools, colleges, and madrasahs, the closures for conducting public examinations are very harmful to those center educational institutions. They detrimentally interrupt the continuity of teaching and learning. The learners are deprived of a huge sum of classes for the closure. So, here in the research work, the alternative hypothesis rivals the null hypothesis. Consequently, the author also proved the following hypotheses by collecting data from the answers to the above research questions served to the participants. His principal hypothesis was proved as a good solution to the researched problem. 1) If public examinations are conducted in the exclusive exam complexes, no interruption of teaching and learning will occur in any educational institution in Bangladesh. 2) Public examinations badly interrupting and learning of exam-centre educational institutions for long closure on accobecause 3) Public examinations undoubtedly interrupt the teaching and learning of exam-centre educational institutions. The study's rationale is extremely significant for its role to find out the acute problem in teaching and learning continuation due to various public examinations, as well as the harmful effect of frequent closure of educational institutions in developed countries like Bangladesh. Most developing countries like Bangladesh are facing insufficient resources to be allocated enough to build separate exam complexes at least in every Upazila (Sub-district) head quarter. So, the government and public exam-authority use some educational institutions as the centres/ venues of various public examinations, which begets the closure of those institutions that begets disruptions in the teaching-learning system. This tradition is a very negative effect on quality education that begets national development. Although this problem was not considered acute in the previous decades, the problem is now mind-catching. If the problem is solved, the quality of education will be enhanced more than before. So, the research has proper justification for being conducted for sustainable teaching and learning continuation by protecting the closure of educational institutions during public examinations. Many researchers, reporters, and journalists studied this issue, especially that issue in Bangladesh. They described the disruptions of public exams in teaching and learning, the importance and urgency of establishing exclusive exam complexes in every district and sub-district in Bangladesh, and the negative impact of frequent and long-term closure of schools and colleges on quality education. But the research gap in the existing knowledge cited in this study's introduction and literature review was that none of them highlighted the degree of disruption in teaching and learning during public examinations in Bangladesh and abroad. Besides, they all focused on the issue of narrative content rather than quantitative observation. So, the study's novelty was that the author pictured the levels or degree of interruption in teaching and learning of exam-center schools and colleges during public examinations. Besides, he also observed the issue with quantitative measurement, including Microsoft Excel, which was not found in the previous study, preferably in Bangladesh. Finally, the innovative understanding of the study was that if all developing countries like Bangladesh built distinct exam halls in every Upazila (Sub-district) and district level parishes, the teaching and learning continuation in exam-centre education institutions would not be disrupted during public examinations. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Disruptions of Public Exams in Education In Bangladesh, every public or certificate examination is always held in some educational institutions enlisted as the examination centers on the education boards and the National University of Bangladesh. Those center schools and colleges are closed for a minimum of one month to a maximum of six months during public examinations. As a result, the continuity of teaching and learning is extremely interrupted, and the teachers and learners cannot complete their teaching and learning syllabi. In the author's opinion, if the exclusive exam complexes are established in each Upazila headquarter, the public examinations can be held in those venues or exclusive exam complexes. Then the continuation of teaching and learning of those schools and colleges used as exam centers will not be interrupted, as some daily newspapers in Bangladesh have recently reported, although journal researches are inadequate. The system of Public Examinations in Bangladesh is that after ten years of study, the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination, the first in the hierarchy of public examinations, is held. After that, after grade 12, there is the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) test. Bachelor's degree examinations (BA, BSc, BSS, BCom) take place at the end of 14/15 years, whereas master's degree examinations (MA, MSc, MSS, MBA take place at the end of 16/17 years. Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) competitive examinations, which are used to choose applicants for posts as class I government officers, are also open to the public (Government, 2021). Bangladesh's current education system may be divided into three stages: basic, secondary, and higher. 104 Primary-level schools provide the majority of elementary education. Institutions at the junior secondary and higher secondary levels offer secondary education. Degree pass (3 years), degree honours (4 years), masters (1 & 2 years), and other higher-level institutes of an equivalent portion of other connected institutions provide higher education. To assess and evaluate the above three levels of learners, the government of Bangladesh arranges PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC, Bachelor and Master's examinations, especially B.A pass and Honours examinations under the National University of Bangladesh. These are public examinations that are held around the year. The PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC, and Bachelor (B.A Pass) examinations are held in every Upazila headquarters in Bangladesh. As no exclusive examination hall exists, some schools, colleges and madrasahs in the Upazilas are usually used as the centres or venues for those examinations. For this, the respective educational institutions are closed for a long period in a year, and the teaching and learning process is hampered. Consequently, conducting classes of the teachers is not possible, and the courses of all classes are not completed due to those long closures around the year. The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPME) are the top bodies overseeing the running of Bangladesh's educational institutions. They make policies in all areas of education, including public, national, and school- based student evaluation. Primary education is overseen by the Directorate of Primary Education, whereas secondary and higher education is overseen by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (ADB, 2017). Further, A laboratory class is one in which all of the work is done in class and there are no outside assignments. For the duration of a typical semester, the minimal contact time per credit is 2x50x15= 1500 minutes or 2 hours each week. For a minimum of 750 minutes of structured teaching, one semester credit hour, in theory, will be given. (Shahidul, 2018). During public examinations, educational establishments will no longer be closed. There is no way to build up test centers and venues all across the world. In each Upazila town, a separate facility will be built to conduct examinations in a question-free and copy-free atmosphere. If separate examination centers are created, students will not be deprived of teaching activities during the examination. That is exactly what the folks in question have wanted. (Educational institutions will no longer remain closed during public examinations, 2018). The High Court has asked the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be ordered to establish exam halls in all district and Upazila headquarters across the country for public and recruitment examinations. The court issued a rule upon the authorities concerned with the government. (Why not set up exam halls at all districts, upazilas: HC to govt, 2019). The government has taken the initiative to build a separate examination center in each district. All public examinations of the district will be held at this center. The meeting proposed to construct more than one test building in each Upazila. However, at least two and a half thousand acres of land will be required for this. Separate examination centers will be set up in any one Upazila of each district. Completion of Primary Education (PEC), Junior School Certificate (JSC), and SSC-HSC examinations will be held at the center. Director General of Mausi Professor. Syed Md. Ghulam Farooq said the issue had been under discussion for a long time. (Public Examination Moving from School and College, 2019). 2.2. Effect of Frequent and Long Closure The topic of urban public-school closures and their implications on student academic results have been the subject of recent research. However, little is known about the broader impact of closures, particularly on instructors who are also affected. We examine the labour market results for over 15,000 teachers displaced by the closure of almost 700 Texas schools between 2003 and 2015. Using a unique administrative data set, we discovered that school closures were linked to an increased risk of teachers quitting the profession and moving school districts. Specifically, instructors in charter schools that shuttered were more likely to depart. Furthermore, closures tend to force senior instructors out, exacerbating the already significant underrepresentation of Black teachers. (Richards, et al., 2020) Closing schools is a politically difficult decision for any district. It has implications for students and families who must be transferred to a new school. It may involve terminating employment contracts with a school’s current employees. There may be legal and collective bargaining issues to resolve, and it is likely to be a time-consuming, challenging, and complicated (Sunderman, et al., 2019). The impact of school closures is likely to be experienced disproportionately by families subject to social inequities, and those with children with health conditions or special learning needs. Interrupted access to school-based resources, connections, and support compounds the broader societal impact of the pandemic. In particular, there are likely to be greater effects on single-parent families, families in poverty, working mothers, and those with unstable employment and housing (Dove, et al., 2020) The logic of closing schools in response to low student performance goes like this: By closing low- performing schools and sending students to better- performing ones, student achievement will improve. The new, higher-performing schools will give transfer students access to higher-quality peer and teacher networks, which in turn will have a beneficial effect on academic outcomes. The threat of closure may 105 motivate low-performing schools (and their districts) to improve to preempt school closure (Sunderman, et al., 2019) When educational institutions are frequently and long-term closed, learners become psychologically disrupted, whether legal or illegal, from a life cycle perspective. School closures have affected child and youth learning and may result in irregular educational opportunities. Learning insecurity is intensified in homes with limited access to technology and multiple platforms used by multiple teachers. Up to 80% of children with disabilities, neurodevelopmental, mental, and behavioural health needs rely heavily on school services and may be particularly affected due to loss of resources, specialized educators, and structured learning environments. They lose the discipline of education, study, aims and objectives and feel disorder (Dove, et al., 2020). School closures can have an exacerbating effect on students with mental health issues (Müller & Goldenberg, 2020). Long-term closure of educational institutions makes the learners unable to realize the syllabus of their courses and they become filled with fear so that they can pass the exams and continue their studies. In this sense, the learners stop to go to their schools and colleges and dropout remains increasing. Using publicly available survey data from the USAID Demographic Health Surveys Program and the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey from before and after the 2013–2016 Ebola pandemic in Guinea and Sierra Leone in West Africa, the author examined changes in school enrolment and dropout patterns, with targeted consideration given to traditionally marginalized groups (Smith, 2021). When the learners lag behind in their studies, guardians observe some unexpected behaviour in theirs wards, especially in female wards. If they cannot control their sons and daughters, they decide to marry them off. Thus, early marriage is a rising situation. We see an increasing trend in attempted child marriages in recent times as Opposed to pre-pandemic days”, says a UNICEF spokesman. A BRAC estimate suggests that this increase may be approximately 220 percent over the period of July to September of the 2020 lockdown period (Das & Kusakabe, 2021). The progress of a nation is very much dependent on the education of its citizens. One major issue schools are facing and seeing little or no improvement is effectively dealing with absenteeism. Learners should be in school all the times for them to acquire and keep concepts taught (Simuforosa & Rosemary, 2016). 2.3. UNESCO Observation on School Closures School closures carry high social and economic costs for people across communities. Their impact, however, is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families. The resulting disruptions exacerbate already existing disparities within the education system but also in other aspects of their lives. These include: 1) Interrupted learning: Schooling provides essential learning, and then schools close; children and youth are deprived of opportunities for growth and development. The disadvantages are disproportionate for under-privileged learners who have fewer educational opportunities beyond school. 2) Confusion and stress for teachers: When schools close, especially unexpectedly and for unknown durations, teachers are often unsure of their obligations and how to maintain connections with students to support learning. In many contexts, school closures lead to furloughs or separations for teachers. Transitions to distance learning platforms tend to be messy and frustrating, even in the best circumstances. 3) Parents unprepared for distance and homeschooling: When schools close, parents are often asked to facilitate children's learning at home and can struggle to perform this task. This is especially true for parents with limited education and resources. 4) Challenges creating, maintaining, and improving distance learning: Demand for distance learning skyrockets when schools close and often overwhelms existing portals to remote education. Moving learning from classrooms to homes at scale and in a hurry presents enormous human and technical challenges. 5) Increased pressure on schools and school systems that remain open: Localized school closures place burdens on schools as governments and parents redirect children to schools that remain open. 6) Rise in dropout rates: It is challenging to ensure children and youth return and stay in school when schools reopen after closures. This is especially true of protracted closures and when economic shocks pressure children to work and generate income for financially distressed families. 7) Challenges measuring and validating learning: Calendared assessments, notably high-stakes examinations that determine admission or advancement to new education levels and institutions, are thrown into disarray when schools close. Strategies to postpone, skip or administer examinations at a distance raise concerns about fairness, especially when access to learning becomes variable. Disruptive assessments stress students and their families and can trigger disengagement. (UNESCO, 2020). 106 3. Method The research method is an inevitable section that synthesizes research design, data collection instruments, reasons for applying these instruments, participants and settings, data collection procedures, and data analysis procedures to solve the research problem. The study is conducted in a mixed method where the quantitative method is predominating for finding original problems and drawing a sound solution. The settings or locations of the research work are 19 schools, colleges, and madrasahs that are used as the centers or venues of various public examinations and must be closed down during those public exams. The above 19 educational institutions have been selected from Tarash and Rayganj Upazila in the Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. The research participants are 2 Upazila Nirbahi Officers, 2 Assistant Commissioners of land, 2 Upazila education officers and 2 academic officers, and 8 different upper-class administrative officers responsible for ensuring quality education and public examinations management in these two Upazilas. 19 participants are from principals and headmasters, 40 teachers, 40 guardians, and 50 students of those 19 schools, madrasahs, and colleges that are usually used as the venues of various public examinations in two Upazilas of Sirajganj district in Bangladesh (Table-1). Three data collecting instruments were used: a questionnaire survey using a Likert scale among 159 people directly or indirectly involved in teaching and learning, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) among 8 educational administrators, and a Content Analysis (CA) of existing knowledge. The reasons for using the instruments are that the questionnaire survey method is applied to prepare this research paper within a short span of time, content analysis to make the research more authentic by integrating with existing knowledge, and in-person interviews to get the actual circumstances on this issue through the visual experience of the administrator. The questionnaires are designed in four versions. The first version is designed for the principals and headmasters who are concerned with both academic and administrative parts, the second one for the teachers who are directly involved in teaching, the third one for the learners who are straightly engaged in learning, and the fourth one for the guardians who are conscious of observing behaviours and attitudes of their words in the home during the long closure of schools and colleges. The researcher is firstly introduced to principals or heads of those 19 educational institutions (enlisted in table-1) and describes his research topic, problem and objectives with them in detail. They also acknowledge and recognize the problem identified in the research work. By thanking him for this good job, the principals and headmasters allow the researcher to use them, their teachers, learners, and guardians as the participants of the research to collect authentic data. Then each headmaster and each principal provide the researcher with the names and mobile numbers 2/ 3 teachers, 2/3 of learners, and 2/3 guardians who are more conscious of the present empirical issue. Next, the author makes phone calls to all participants separately and describes his purpose for calling. When they agreed with the author’s intention, he fixed 4 dates for 4 zoom sessions: 1st session for principals and headmasters, 2nd for teachers, 3rd for learners and finally 4th for guardians. Finally, the zoom sessions are arranged where the author serves group- wise questionnaire papers, and all participants answer the questions and submit these sheets to the author. At last, the author arranges a Focus Group Discussion with those 8 administrators in this perspective, and they share their experiences regarding the present issue of the exam system in Bangladesh. The author had to face some Challenges faced during data collection: (i) Some respondents’ reluctance to participate in questionnaire surveys and FGD, (ii) Some respondents' negativity emerging from their fear of any hassle in the profession, and (iv) Financial constraints to cover the expense of arranging data collection procedures. Moreover, the study required 3 months to collect data through a questionnaire and unstructured interviews. The research also has some limitations. The first limitation is the number of participants. The researcher could collect data from only 8 education officers, 19 principals and headmasters, 40 teachers, 50 students, and 40 guardians from 19 schools and colleges that were used as the centres of public examinations in Tarash and Rayganj Upazila of Sirajganj district. It is quite a small-scale study, and the researcher cannot claim that it reflects the attitudes and opinions of all students in this setting. The small-scale nature of the study also has implications for generalizability in the wider problematic contexts. Besides, the study was done in a limited period, so it cannot fully reflect the complex perception of academic officers, teachers, Guardians and students about this type of educational problem. Moreover, accessing various institutes to collect data was impossible due to the pandemic COVID-19. The quantitative data collected from the questionnaire participants are analyzed and statistically calculated with Microsoft Excel and displayed in bar charts and pie charts. Excel graphics. It is noted that the citation is done in APA 7 style. 107 Table 1. Researched Educational Institutions 4. Results The study stated that teaching and learning were disrupted in center educational institutions due to long closure for the scarcity of separate exam complexes during the public examinations. The maximum answers of participants also evidenced this issue asked in the questionnaires. Besides, this problem was also observed in previous research conducted in journals, newspapers, and various periodicals. So, the purpose of this study was to solve the problem so that the teaching and learning of those schools and colleges could not be interrupted during various public examinations. To find an accurate solution, the author hypothesises that no educational institution in Bangladesh would experience any disruption of instruction for long closure if public exams are held in the exclusive exam complexes. The hypothesis also tested positive in the overall answers of all respondents with survey questionnaires. The investigation over the questionnaire represented the scenario where the evidence of research problems and the hypothesis- tested findings or solutions were observed. This sole fraction of the research work presented data collected from various types of participants and settings and analyzed the collected data statistically through an Excel graphic figure. The result of the research was drawn by analyzing four versions of the questionnaire: (i) questionnaires for principals and headmasters who are straightly connected with administering teaching-learning, and public examination management, (ii) questionnaires for teachers who are involved in regular teaching, (iii) questionnaires for learners who are leaning, and (iv) questionnaires for guardians who are observing the attitude and behaviour of the learners (their wards) of educational institutions stated in table-1. The data of these four types of questionnaires were chronologically analyzed to picture the accurate result of the research. Upazila SN Name of center educational Institutions for public exams Levels of Education Public Exams Held Tarash 1 Tarash Islamia Pilot High School Secondary JSC, SSC 2 Tarash Govt. Girls’ High School Secondary JSC, SSC 3 Gulta Bazar Biliteral High School Secondary JSC, SSC 4 Tarash Alim Madrasah Secondary and Higher Secondary JSC, SSC 5 Tarash Honours College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate JSC, SSC, HSC, B. A 6 Tarash Women Degree College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate SSC, HSC, B. A Rayganj 7 Dhanghara High School Secondary JSC, SSC 8 Chandaikona Multi-literal High School Secondary JSC, SSC 9 Pangashi Layla Mizan School & College Secondary and Higher Secondary JSC, SSC, HSC 10 Rayganj Pilot High School Secondary JSC, SSC 11 Nimgasi High School Secondary JSC, SSC 12 Shalanga Islamia High School Secondary JSC, SSC 13 Shalanga Pilot Girls High School Secondary JSC, SSC 14 Dhanghara Fazil Madrasha Higher Secondary and Undergraduate JSC, SSC, HSC, B. A 15 Shalanga Fazil Madrasha Higher Secondary and Undergraduate JSC, SSC, HSC, B. A 16 Hazi Wahed Mariom Honours College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate HSC, B. A 17 Govt. Tarkabagish College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate HSC, B. A 18 Shalanga Degree College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate HSC, B. A 19 Nimgasi Degree College Higher Secondary and Undergraduate HSC, B. A 108 Questionnaire Analysis: These questionnaires were arranged for 19 Principals/ Head Teachers who were directly concerned with both academic and administrative programs of those 19 schools and colleges. Table 2. Questionnaire Analysis 1. Questionnaire Participant Response Rate JSC, SSC, HSC, Degree JSC, SSC SSC, HSC, Degree HSC, Degree JSC, SSC, HSC Which public examinations are held in your educational institution in a year? 19 3 10 1 4 1 Figure 1. Schools and Colleges Where Public Examinations Held in a Year Here, 19 participants were selected who were principals and headmasters. According to the statistical table and figure: 2:1, it is observed that 3 educational institutions are used as the center for JSC, SSC, HSC, and Degree examination in a year, 10 for JSC, SSC examinations, 1 for SSC, HSC, Degree, 4 for HSC, Degree, and 1 for JSC, SSC and HSC. So, 3 educational institutions are closed down 4 times for four types of exams, 10 institutions are 2 times for two types of exams, 1 institution is 3 times for three types of exams, 4 institutions are 2 times for two types of exams, and 1 institution is 3 times for three types of exams in year. Table 3. Questionnaire Analysis 2. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate JSC SSC HSC Degree How many days it take to complete these public exams like JSC, SSC, HSC, and Degree? 19 15 Days 25 Days 45 Days 60 Days Figure 2. Days needed to Complete JSC, SSC, HSC, Degree JSC, SSC SSC, HSC, Degree HSC, Degree JSC, SSC, HSC 3 10 1 4 1 SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES WHERE PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS HELD IN A YEAR 15 25 45 60 JSC SSC HSC DEGREE Days needed to complite public exams 109 In this study 19 participants as headmasters and principals were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the accurate result. According to the statistics of table and figure: 3:2, all participants says that JSC exam takes 15 days, SSC exam 25 days, HSC exam 45 days and the Degree exam takes 60 days. Thus, this result indicates that public exam-center schools and colleges are bound to be closed down in those days and stop teaching and learning programs. Table 4. Questionnaire Analysis 3. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Days 40 Days 85 Days 105 Days 130 Days 145 How many are working days in a year declared closed in your educational institution for those public examinations? 19 10 1 4 1 3 Figure 3. Working Days Closed Down for Public Exams in a Year In this study 19 participants as head masters and principals were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the accurate result. According to the statistics of table and figure: 4:3, it is obvious that 53% or 10 institutions are to be closed 40 days during various public exams, 5% or 1 institution is 85 days, 21% or 4 institutions are 105 days, 5% or 1 institution are 130 days, and 16% or 3 institutions are be closed down 145 days. So, if the exams are held in separate exam complexes, those educational institutions can continue teaching and learning activities on those days. Table 5. Questionnaire Analysis 4. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Period 320 Period 680 Period 840 Period 1040 Period 1160 How many periods in a year are interrupted in your educational institution on account of those public examinations when 8 periods held in a day? 19 10 1 4 1 3 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Days 145 Days 130 Days 105 Days 85 Days 40 Working days closed down for public exams in ayear 110 Figure 4. Periods Interrupted in a Year During Public Exams In this survey 19 participants as headmasters and principals were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find the exact picture. According to the statistics of table and figure: 5:4, it is observed that in 10 institutions, 320 classes are to be closed down during various public exams, in one institution 680, in 4 institutions 840, in one institution 1040 and in 3 institutions 1160 classes are to be closed down during public exams in those educational institutions. So, if the exams are held in separate exam complexes, those educational institutions can continue those periods of teaching and learning activities in a year. Table 6. Questionnaire Analysis 5. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely Needed Needed Moderately Needed Slightly Needed Not Needed Do you think an exclusive exam-complex is compulsorily needed in each Upazila headquarter? 19 15 3 1 0 0 Figure 5. Importance of Exclusive Exam-Complex In this study 19 participants as head masters and principals were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find the exact picture. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 6:5, it is obvious that 79% of participants think that exclusive exam-complexes are extremely needed, 16% thinks exclusive exam-complexes are needed and 5% thinks exclusive exam-complexes are moderately needed. On the contrary, no participant is negative to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think that exclusive exam complexes are badly needed to avoid interruption in teaching and learning. Questionnaires of the Teachers: These questionnaires were arranged for 40 teachers who were directly concerned with the teaching programs of those 19 schools and colleges. Period 320 53% Period 680 5% Period 840 21% Period 1040 5% Period 1160 16% Periods interrupted in a year during public Exams Period 320 Period 680 Period 840 Period 1040 Period 1160 79% 16% 5% 0%0%0% IMPORTANCE OF EXCLUSIVE EXAM -COMPLEX Extremely Needed Needed Moderately Needed Slightly Needed Not Needed 111 Table 7. Questionnaire Analysis 1. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely Positive Positive Moderately Positive Negative Extremely Negative Do you think teaching is being acutely interrupted due to the closure of public examinations in your educational institution? 40 35 4 1 0 0 Figure 6. Teaching and Learning Interrupted for Public Examinations In this survey, 40 participants as assistant teachers and lecturers were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the authentic calculation. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 7:6, it is obvious that 87% of participants are extremely positive, 10% of participants are positive, 3% of participants are moderately positive to the questionnaire. On the contrary, no participant is negative to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think that teaching is being acutely interrupted due to public examinations in your educational institution. Table 8. Questionnaire Analysis Figure 7. Incompletion of Syllabus for Public Exam Extremely Positive 87% Positive 10% Moderately Positive 3% Negative 0% Extremely Negative 0% T e a c h i n g a n d l e a r n i n g i n t e r r u p t e d f o r p u b l i c e x a m i n a t i o n s Extremely Positive Positive Moderately Positive Negative Extremely Negative 2. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely Negative Negative Moderately Negative Positive Extremely Positive Are you capable to complete full syllabus due to your educational institution being closed on account of those public examinations? 40 30 6 4 0 0 112 In this survey, 40 participants as assistant teachers and lecturers were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the authentic calculation. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 8:7, it is obvious that 30 out of 40 participants are strongly negative, 6 participants are negative, and 4 participants are moderately negative to the questionnaire. On the contrary, no participant is positive to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think they cannot complete full syllabus due to their educational institution being closed on account of those public examinations. Table 9. Questionnaire Analysis 3. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Strongly agree Agree Moderately agree Disagree Strongly disagree Do you feel that learners are compelled to continue private/ tuition to fulfil the rest part of the syllabus that is not taught and learnt during public examinations? 40 32 5 2 1 0 Figure 8. Cause of Tuition or Private In this survey, 40 participants as assistant teachers and lecturers were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the authentic calculation. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 9:8, it is obvious that 32 out of 40 participants strongly agree, 6 participants agree, and 2 participants moderately agree to the questionnaire. On the contrary, only 1 participant disagree to the questionnaire. So, 97.5% of participants think that learners are compelled to continue private/ tuition to fulfil the rest of the syllabus that is not taught and learnt during public examinations. Questionnaires of the Learners: These questionnaires were arranged for the learners who were directly concerned with learning programs of those 19 schools and colleges. Table 10. Questionnaire Analysis 1. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely Positive Positive Moderately Positive Negative Extremely Negative Do you think your learning is acutely interrupted due to public examinations in your educational institution? 50 40 7 3 0 0 Figure 9. Interruption in Learning for Public Exam 32 5 2 1 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Strongly agree Agree Moderately agree Disagree Strongly disagree C au s es o f t u i t i o n / p r i v at e 113 In this survey, 50 participants were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find the trustworthy result. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 10:9, it is obvious that 40 participants are extremely positive, 7 participants are positive, 3 participants are moderately positive to the questionnaire. On the contrary, no participant is negative to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think that their learning is acutely interrupted due to public examinations in your educational institution. Table 11. Questionnaire Analysis 2. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Strongly agree Agree Moderately agree Disagree Strongly disagree Do you think that a long break of attending academic class makes you inactive in-home work study during public examinations in your educational institution? 50 41 6 2 1 0 Figure 10. Cause of Learners in Activeness in Home Study In this survey, 50 participants as learners were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the authentic calculation. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 11:10, it is obvious that 82% of participants strongly agree, 12% of participants agree, and 4% of participants moderately agree to the questionnaire. On the contrary, only 2% participant disagree to the questionnaire. So, 98% participants think that long break of attending academic class makes them inactive in-home work study during public examinations in your educational institution. Table 12. Questionnaire Analysis 3. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate By regular private / Tuition By private/ Tuition By oneself By another way By no means How can you complete the rest of the syllabus that is interrupted during public examinations in your educational institution? 50 15 10 15 0 10 82% 12% 4% 2% 0%2% CAUSE OF LEARNER'S INACTIVENESS IN HOME STUDY Strongly agree Agree Moderately agree Disagree Strongly disagree 114 Figure 11. Way of Completing Rest of The Syllabus In this survey, 50 participants as learners were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the reliable calculation. According to the statistics of the table and figure: 12:11, it is clear that 15 out of 50 participants complete the rest of the syllabus by regular private / tuition, 10 by irregular private/ tuition, 15 by themselves, and 10 participants by no means. So, it is clear that the completion of the rest of the syllabus interrupted during public examinations in their educational institution is very tough, especially for poor learners. Questionnaires of the Guardians: These questionnaires were arranged for the guardians who were directly concerned with observing their wards’ behaviour at home due to the closure of educational institutions. Table 13. Questionnaire Analysis 1. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely inactive in study Inactive in study Slightly inactive in study Active in study Extremely active in study Do you feel learner’s inactivity when they stay at home without attending at schools or colleges for closing due to public examinations? 40 20 10 4 4 2 Figure 12. Learners' inactivity at Home for Long Closure of Educational Institute In this study 40 participants as guardians were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the accurate result. According to the statistics of table and figure: 13:12, it is observed that 20 out of 40 participants feel their wards are extremely inactive in study when they stay at home without attending at schools or colleges for closing due to public examinations, 10 participants feel them (learners) inactive in study, 4 participants feel them (learners) slightly inactive in study, On the contrary, 4 participants feel them (learners) active in study, and another 2 participants feel them (learners) extremely active in study. Thus, here in the study, we can see that 85% of learners are inactive in the study when they stay at home without attending at schools or colleges for closing due to public examinations. 0 5 10 15 20 1 Way of completing rest of the syllabus By regular private / tuition By private/ tuition By myself By another way By no means 20 10 4 4 2 0 5 10 15 20 25 1 Learner's inactivity at home for long closure of educational institute Extremely active in study Active in study Slightly inactive in study Inactive in study Extremely inactive in study 115 Table 14. Questionnaire Analysis 2. Questionnaire Participant Response Rate Extremely Positive Positive Moderately positive Negative Extremely negative Do you think learners are mostly addicted to unethical social media when they stay at home without attending at schools and colleges for closing due to public examinations? 40 35 4 1 0 0 Figure 13. Learners Addiction to Social Media at Home for Long Vacation In this study 40 participants as guardians were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the accurate result. According to the statistics of table and figure: 14:13, it is observed that 35 participants are extremely positive on their wards being mostly addicted to unethical social media when they stay at home without attending at schools and colleges for closing due to public examinations, 4 participants are positive, and one is moderately positive. On the contrary, no participant is negative to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think that their wards are mostly addicted to unethical social media when they stay at home without attending at schools and colleges for closing due to public examinations. Table 15. Questionnaire Analysis 3. Questionnaire Participants Response Rate Extremely Needed Needed Moderately Needed Slightly Needed Not Needed 3. Do you think the government’s necessary step is needed to protect the problem? 40 35 5 0 0 0 Figure 14. Importance of Government Step to Protect the Problem 0 10 20 30 40 Extremely needed needed Moderately needed Slightly Needed Not Needed Importance of government step to protect the problem 35 4 1 0 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 1 Learner's addiction to social media at home for long vacation Extremely negative Negative Moderately positive Positive Extremely Positive 116 In this study 40 participants as guardians were selected from different schools, colleges and madrasahs to find out the accurate result. According to the statistics of table and figure: 15:14, it is observed that 35 out of 40 participants think that the government’s necessary step is needed to protect the problem is extremely needed, 15 participants think needed. On the contrary, no participant is negative to the questionnaire. So, 100% of participants think that government should take necessary steps to protect the problem on the 10th July,2021, the author arranged an online Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the research issue with the 8 administrative officers from the two Upazilas of Sirajganj district. Later, four main points are logically and analytically discussed and from this discussion, an authentic result came to light from this discussion. The first point/ question was, “Do public examinations interrupt the teaching and learning of exam centre (venue) educational institutions?” In this discussion, all participants agreed that centre /venue educational institutions for public examinations are disturbing for the teaching and learning of those schools and colleges. Because, during these exams, those educational institutions are closed down for infrastructure constraints and imposing 144. The education officer of Tarash Upazila exemplified, “Tarash Degree College is an exam venue of JSC, SSC, HSC and Bachelor (Pass) that takes about 150 working days when teaching and learning remain closed.” The second point/ question was, “How do public examinations interrupt the teaching and learning of exam center/venue educational institutions? “. In this phase of discussion also, all participants unitedly showed their views that when public examinations were held in those educational institutions, no general entrance is allowed without exam management authority as article 144 was imposed for transparency and security. As a result, the learners of other classes were prohibited from entering into the campus. Besides, most of these educational institutions don’t have enough buildings to continue other classes separately. In this point of order, an education officer of Tarash Upazila said, “unavailability of building constructions mainly created the interruption of teaching and learning in those educational institutions.” The third point/ question was “How can public examinations be conducted without interrupting teaching and learning in those educational institutions?”. In this phase of FDG, the participants were determined on two steps to avoid long-term teaching and learning closure in those educational institutions. Firstly, academic buildings should be constructed enough to accommodate public examinations along with continuing teaching and learning of other classes and secondly, if it is not possible for financial constraints, an exclusive exam complex in every Upazila head quarter especially in the countryside, must be constructed so that the public examinations cannot affect any educational institutions. In this issue, an academic officer said, “If exclusive exam complexes are constructed in every Upazila headquarter, public examinations will be held in a specific time when declared by the government. But rest time of the year around, this complex can be used as community center that can earn revenue from renting to various private occasions.” (FGD notes 1). Finally, the focus group discussion drew a final solution that exclusive exam complexes in every Upazila headquarter can solve the research problem. 5. Discussion There were two main objectives of the study: (i) focusing on the degree of level of the problems that disrupt teaching and learning continuation in exam- centre educational institutions for the frequent closures during various public examinations and (ii) finding out the solutions of the problems. These two targets were also fulfilled with the data collected from various sources and in terms of the objectives some significant findings were represented below: 5.1. Degree of the Problem during Public Exams The research results that the public examinations are disturbing for the teaching and learning in exam center educational institutions in Bangladesh. The study always targets to collect the answers to the research questions and data collected from the questionnaire survey and focus group discussion on solving the research problem. From the questionnaire survey of 19 principals and headmasters of public exam center or venue educational institutions, it was clear that public examinations like JSC, SSC, HSC and BA (Pass) were held frequently for a long time. For this reason, among 19 schools and colleges studied, 10 were closed for 40 days losing 320 periods of classes, 1 for 85 days losing 680 periods of classes, 4 for 105 days losing 840 periods of classes, 1 for 130 days, losing 1040 periods of classes, and 3 for 145 days losing 1160 periods of classes in a study year. Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar, secretary of the Dhaka Board of Education and former controller of examinations, told the Jugantar newspaper that numerous public examinations are currently being conducted in the country. These include SSC, HSC, undergraduate, Dakhil, Alim, Fazil and Kamil examinations. Hale has added the final examination of the fifth and eighth classes. In the institutions where these examinations are taken, the education of the students is completely closed for that period (Ahmed, 2019). So, it was apparent that the continuation of teaching-learning was hampered and the completion of syllabus was interrupted. Long-term and frequent closure of schools, colleges and madrasahs has numerous very adverse consequences. It leads the 117 teaching and learning process to discontinuation, that badly interrupts the education sequence. Pupils absent from school tend to miss out on new learning and may also forget previously the empirical evidence on the strength of the relationship between school absence and pupil achievement (Sims, 2020). In Barisal, the Socialist Student Front staged a human chain and a demonstration parade to demand the establishment of a Barisal Independent Examination Center and regular classrooms. The event occurred at Barisal BM College Zero Point on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Dr. Manisha Chakraborty, District Student Front Acting President Santu Mitra, Organizing Secretary Nilima Jahan, and Member Anbesha Das Promi were among those who spoke at the event. The protest parade moved around other routes on campus once the human chain was completed. (Editor, 2018). Picture 1. A human chain for independent examination center Long-term and frequent closure of educational institutions interrupts teaching and learning continuation. From the questionnaire survey of the teachers, the collected data depicted that those public examinations interrupted teaching and learning in exam center or venue educational institutions during the time of happening the exams since they were closed down for imposing 144 in campusRegular school attendance is a key contributor toward student success. Lack of attendance, by its very nature removes the student from time for learning, which is essential for academic success (Larkin, 2012). Besides, the teachers cannot complete the full syllabus through classroom teaching and learning. By dint of long-term closure of educational institutions, teachers cannot continue the teaching process, and learners also cannot continue learning in the classroom. As a result, the syllabus remains incomplete. School closures could increase student debt, extend the graduation time of students, and shatter the academic dreams of students, as well as the program schedules of educational institutions (Onyema, et al., 2020). The teachers also confessed that the learners must complete their syllabus through private teaching and learning, which was a burden for impoverished families. Since shadow schooling has grown in popularity, middle- and low-income families have been obliged to pay for private tutoring and public education. The socioeconomic basis of parents' investments and family burden may rise or diminish. Because private tutoring is linked to a family's financial means, it inevitably raises issues of family strain, which differs from parent to parent. (Mahmud, (2021). From the questionnaires survey of the learners, the collected data also pictured frequent closures for various public exams created acute interruption in teaching and learning continuation. Then they lacked knowledge. It is obvious that if the teaching and learning process is interrupted for a long time and the syllabus is not completed, learners do not usually learn their lesson fully. So, a lack of knowledge must be observed in most of the learners. In particular, educational attainment is significantly lower when measured through tests administered in June 2020, immediately after the first period of school closures (Gambi & Witte, 2021). They also asserted that during long closure, they stayed at home and felt loneliness and inactive in study or homework. During distant learning, Chinese college students typically suffer loneliness, which has a negative impact on their academic performance. The links between loneliness, mental health, and academic achievement were investigated for these kids. Both investigative and interview approaches were used in this mixed method study. 437 undergraduate students from three institutions in Wuhan, China, were recruited for the online survey (Yang & Swekwi, 2021) Besides, some of them who are affluent in finance completed the rest of the syllabus with shadow teaching and learning that was private tuition, but some impoverished learners could pay tuition fee to continue private learning. This created feelings of social inequality that hindered quality education. Inequality is frequently thought to be socioeconomic or dependent on money. Every child should have access to education since it is the most powerful and useful tool for socioeconomic growth. It is a critical instrument for national integration and growth. That might explain the UNICEF (2011) study, which claims that when children have access to a rights-based, high-quality education based on gender equality, they are more likely to succeed. The fundamental aim, in terms of the link between social inequality and education, has been to discover factors that determine how well pupils achieve in school and their transfer to positions of unequal status in the labour market. Gender inequality has also been a significant sub-theme in the discussion of social inequality (Tchamyou, 2020). From the questionnaires survey of the guardians, the collected data also assured that their wards become inactive and indifferent to studying at home during the vacation for occurring public examinations in their educational institutions. Frequent and vast vacations interrupt general relations between teachers and learners. As a result of it, this circumstance enhances the gap between them. During long-term school closures, the gap for 118 Students from social behaviour, education systems, schools, teachers, parents, and students who are their classmates (Drane, Vernon, & O’Shea, 2020). When learners randomly separate from the teaching and learning process in schools and colleges, they lose the mental setup to continue studying and become indifferent to their success and failure in the examination. During school closure, children continue having social contact with others, which is very poorly informative to predict adherence to social isolation (Poletti & Raballo, 2020). As a result, the learners become engaged and even addicted to illegal social media and become indifferent to their studies. Social media addiction is now a0 common obstacle among teenagers and youths who are allocating times more to social media than to learning. So, when they are not involved in institutional learning for a long time, they become extremely addicted. The closure of schools has disengaged students from learning and makes them addicted to illegal social media ( Worokwu & Kechinyere , 2021). When schools shut down, early marriages increase, more children are recruited into militias, sexual exploitation of girls and young women rises, teenage pregnancies become more common, and child labour grows. (UNESCO, 2020). Finally, from the Focus Group Discussion (FGD), the most significant information has been collected from the 8 administrative officers who play roles in every public examination each year. They also confess that teaching and learning interruptions occurred in exam centres or educational institutions for frequent closures while conducting public examinations. Thus, the first objective of the study was proved with a questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Content Analysis (CA) 5.2. The Solutions of the Problems From the above data analysis and result, it was apparent that various public examinations interrupted the teaching and learning continuation of exam centre educational institutions for the frequent closures of those public examinations. Because these exam-centre schools and colleges lacked enough buildings to continue public examinations and the teaching and learning of other classes. So, they had to close other classes' teaching and learning continuation during the public examinations. In this circumstance, the study found some solutions to the research problem. If these ways of solutions were implemented appropriately, the exam-centre (venue) educational institutions would not face the studied problems. The solutions were referentially delineated below: Building Independent exam Centres: The first and foremost solution to the studied problem is to build an independent exam complex in every district and sub- district headquarter so that educational institutions like studied schools and colleges do not face the existing problem. This solution has also emerged from the head of the respective educational institutions' questionnaire survey of teachers and guardians who demanded government steps be implemented. Besides, 8 administrative officers also opined the same opinions in the focus group discussion. Moreover, the government has been given four weeks to explain why it should not be forced to build exam rooms in every district and Upazila headquarters across the country to host public and recruiting tests, according to the High Court on the 25 November, 2019. Assistant Attorney General M Saiful Islam represented the state. The court demanded an explanation by issuing a ruling to the government's relevant agencies. Following a writ petition recently submitted by Advocate Sarder Zakir Hossain seeking requisite order on the case, a bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the rule. According to the petition, several public examinations like as PEC, JSC, SSC, HSC, degree tests, and recruitment exams are held in schools and colleges in district and Upazila levels, causing classes to be closed for lengthy periods of time and students' studies to be affected. Expanding Infrastructure in Centre Education Institution: The second solution from the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is to enhance building capacity of those educational institutions so that they can continue public examinations and teach to other classes. In other words, if the government cannot build independent exam complexes in every upazila headquarter for resource constraints, they should increase building construction in the studied educational institutions. From the discussion (FGD) of them, two solutions have been drawn to solve the research problem: firstly, government should either establish exclusive exam complexes in every upazila head quarter or increase building construction in those exam centre or venue educational institutions. Appropriate learning environments are part of the education infrastructure. This is one of the most basic requirements for ensuring educational access. The most typical location for controlled learning with groups of youngsters is in school classrooms. While learning can take place in a number of venues, including tents, makeshift shelters, plastic sheeting, the shade of trees, places of worship, people's houses, and so on, families and communities want official education to take place in classrooms that are safe and comfortable. (Barrier, 2020) Allocating more for education infrastructure: In Bangladesh, the allocation in the education sector is less than in any other country in the world. In the previous budget of Bangladesh, the education sector deserved only 00% allocation of the total budget with which education cannot be standard to contribute to the country. Besides, without giving more importance to education, no nation can be developed in other sectors of the country. The financial allocation should be revised to implement the above two solutions. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/581371/rr-ebola-impact-women-men-liberia-010715-en.pdf;jsessionid=A612FD1CDAFB23D4340A12D1ACB235AB?sequence=1 https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DPM-07-2017-0173/full/html https://qz.com/africa/543354/how-ebola-led-to-more-teenage-pregnancy-in-west-africa/ https://qz.com/africa/543354/how-ebola-led-to-more-teenage-pregnancy-in-west-africa/ https://qz.com/africa/543354/how-ebola-led-to-more-teenage-pregnancy-in-west-africa/ https://qz.com/africa/543354/how-ebola-led-to-more-teenage-pregnancy-in-west-africa/ 119 The education sector received Tk 71,951 crore in the budget. The basic and mass education ministry will receive Tk 26,311 crore, the secondary and higher education division will receive Tk 36,486 crore, and the technical and madrasa education division will receive Tk 9,154 crore. Education accounts for 11.9 percent of the national budget in 2021-22. This is equivalent to 2.08 percent of GDP. This year's education budget is somewhat lower than the previous year's allocation of 2.09 percent of GDP. The education budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 was Tk 66,401 crore, but only Tk 56,000 crore has been spent thus far. (Riyasad, 2021) Controlling financial crime in Education Sector: Bangladesh is not Beyond the financial crimes in the education sector. Suppose the government can control financial crimes in the education sector. In that case, the present allocation will also be enough to increase building construction in the studied educational institutions or set up an independent exam complex in every Upazila headquarter of Bangladesh. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) reported on the country's entire education system and painted a picture that is nothing short of disturbing. Corruption, irregularities, and mismanagement may be found at all levels of education, from school to higher education. Bribes ranging from Tk 5000 to Tk 1.5 million must be given for schools to be placed under MPO, for appointments, transfers, and other activities, according to the TIB study. Bribes must be paid to a variety of people, including educational institution committees, local political leaders, principals, and others in the secondary and higher education directorate (The Daily Star, 2020) 5.3. Subsidiary Utility of the Exam Centre In Bangladesh, various public examinations are held frequently in 3.5/5 months in a year. So, if the independent exam complexes are constructed in every Upazila headquarter, they will be used only for three or four months, and the rest of the complexes will be free. It will be possible if the government wants to earn revenue by renting the exam complexes. The complexes may be used as a community center where various social, political and religious occasions or festivals, national and international conference, numerous training sessions of either public or private organizations, etc., can be held with rent. 6. Conclusion The present study was unique in that the author depicted the degrees of disruption in teaching and learning at exam-center schools and colleges during public examinations was not present in the prior study, which is preferable in the Bangladesh context. The script was written to depict the interruption in teaching and learning in Bangladeshi schools and institutions that hosted public examinations. The study's main findings were that during those examinations, teaching and learning activities at center or venue schools and colleges were halted due to a lack of building space to continue both teaching and learning as well as public examinations, as well as the imposition of Section 144 in 400 yards around the centers. As a result, completing the curriculum for other classes was tough. Furthermore, the protracted closures caused psychological issues among the students, who engaged in numerous immoral, criminal, and unsocial behaviours and transgressions. Finally, the study proposed two major solutions: the first was to construct independent exam complexes in each district and sub- district headquarters so that educational institutions such as studied schools and colleges are not affected by the current problem, and the second was to increase the building capacity of those center educational institutions so that they can continue to conduct both public examinations and teach other classes. Finally, the study's novel conclusion was that if all developing countries, such as Bangladesh, erected separate exam halls in each Upazila (Sub-district) and district level parish, teaching and learning in test-centre education institutions would not be hindered during public examinations. 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