1.1 million to take this year’s HSC exams amid BNP-sponsored blockade

The HSC examinations are set to start from Wednesday amid the BNP-led coalition’s agitation to press for an interim election.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 30 March 2015, 12:56 PM
Updated : 30 March 2015, 04:17 PM

A total of 1,073, 884 students will take this year’s HSC and equivalent exams.

The theoretical tests are scheduled between Apr 1 and Jun 11 and practical exams between Jun 13 and 22.

“We are holding the exams in an unusual circumstance this time. The students are panicked,” Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said on Monday.

“It will take them 30 to 40 years to overcome this trauma and we will have to pay dearly for this,” he observed at a media briefing.

Nahid said they decided to hold the exams according to the schedule despite the BNP-sponsored political agitation.

“No blockade or shutdown is in effect. The students will lose a year if the exams are not held.”

The minister once again called political parties to not announce programmes during the exams.

This year’s SSC exams have been much disrupted due to the BNP-led coalition’s blockade and general strikes.

The ministry had to postpone tests of 16 days and hold them on Fridays and Saturdays.

Nahid had earlier said the HSC exams would not be postponed due to political disruptions like shutdowns.

On top of a countrywide transport blockade from Jan 5, the BNP-led 20-Party alliance had been calling for shutdowns every day except for the weekend since the beginning of February.

This year’s HSC tests will be taken at 2,419 centres across Bangladesh and students of 8,305 instittions will sit the exams, Nahid said during Monday’s media call at the Secretariat.

A total of 886,933 students of eight educational boards will take the HSC exams while 84,360 will take the Alim exams under the madrasa board.

The HSC BM/Vocational exams will be taken by 98,247 students and another 4,344 will attend the DIBS exams, the vocational exams meant for madrasa students, added Nahid.

Seven centres abroad will hold exams for 241 students - of whom, 110 are male and 131 female.

This year, creative question set will be used for 25 subjects including Bangla, Chemistry, Physics, Chemistry, History and Islamic History.

The creative question set was introduced in HSC exams for the first time in 2012 in one subject, Bangla. The next year six more subjects were included and last year it was raised to 25 subjects.

Students with disability would get 20 extra minutes to complete exams with the help of their scribes, said Nahid.