The Bangladesh Parliament on Tuesday passed the Public Examinations (Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2026, introducing penalties for digital manipulation, unauthorized database access, and carrying electronic devices into exam centers. The bill, presented by Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan, sets a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment and fines for such offenses. It also includes provisions for organized exam crimes and defines digital manipulation as hacking, altering, deleting, or concealing data in public examination databases.

The amendment reduces the punishment for question paper leaks from ten years to five years and adds penalties for assisting examinees through written or verbal agreements. It also introduces up to two years’ imprisonment or fines for unfair evaluation of answer scripts, determined by a third examiner. Special provisions are included for minors, who will be dealt with under the Children Act.

In a separate development, the Bogura University Bill 2026 was introduced to establish a full-fledged university in Bogura, replacing the 2001 Bogura Science and Technology University Act, which was never implemented.