Rajshahi University (RU) authorities have decided to introduce a “coding system” that removes students’ names and roll numbers from academic exam scripts, to ensure transparency and impartial evaluation.
Under the new system, examiners will have no way of learning a student’s personal identity while evaluating their script.
The coding system will take effect from the 2025-26 academic session’s first semester of undergraduate studies, confirmed university pro-vice-chancellor (education) Professor Mamunur Rashid.
He said the initiative was taken to ensure students’ merit is properly assessed, bring full transparency to results, and eliminate any form of bias. The coding system will be introduced from the first year, first semester of the 2025-26 academic session.
On implementation, he further said a formal meeting with the examination controller’s office will be held tomorrow to determine the process and strategy for launching the system, where formal details of its introduction and implementation will be shared.
How the coding system will work
Under the new arrangement, the cover page of each exam script will have two separate sections. One section will carry personal information such as the student’s name, roll and registration number, while the other will carry a specific code number. Before the script reaches the examiner, the section with the name and roll number will be separated, and only the section carrying the code number will reach the examiner’s desk. As a result, examiners will remain entirely unaware of a student’s identity while evaluating scripts. Once evaluation is complete, the separated section will be matched back with the confidential code to prepare mark sheets and publish final results. Earlier, on June 25, RUCSU assistant general secretary (AGS) S M Salman Sabbir had highlighted ongoing work on the exam coding system in a post on his Facebook timeline. He wrote that discussions had been held with the examination controller on introducing the coding-based evaluation system for exam scripts at Rajshahi University. He said the system could not yet be introduced due to software issues, with software development work ongoing, and expressed hope that it would launch with the first-semester exams of the 2025-26 academic session.