More than 1.36 million students are taking part in the exams under 10 educational boards
Published : 30 Jun 2024, 09:54 AM
Students sitting for the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent exams had to brave the heavy rain on Sunday morning to reach their exam centres.
The rain dwindled the transports available on the roads and traffic congestion caused further delays for examinees and parents rushing to the centres.
A total of 1,368,373 students from 10 education boards – not including the Sylhet education board – are sitting for this year’s exams.
The exams began with the Bangla (Compulsory) first paper at 10am.
Per the revised schedule for 2024, the exams will be conducted with complete marks and timing in all subjects.
This year, 750,281 male and 700,509 female students are taking exams at 2,725 centres.
The HSC and equivalent examinations for the Sylhet Division have been postponed until Jul 8 due to flooding in the region. A total of 82,417 students from the board will start their exams on Jul 9.
The total number of examinees in the eight other General Education Boards, the Madrasa Education Board, and the Technical Education Board stands at 1,368,373.
The board authorities instructed students to be present in the hall 30 minutes before the exam started. Lines of students were seen trickling in accordingly across Dhaka.
Students began entering the Government Bangabandhu College in Mirpur at 8:45am. “My brother is a student of Bhashantek Government College. He has prepared well and we hope his exam will go well,” said Minoti Rajbangshi, who was waiting outside the exam centre.
Afrofa Akter, a mother who brought her son to the exam centre, was worried about the rain.
”It’s the first day of exams so I accompanied him [to the centre.] Now I’m waiting to take him home after his exam ends. The authorities should have thought about the exam schedule at this time of the year. It’s quite troublesome for the students when it rains on their way to and from the centres. They’ll lose concentration,” she said.
This year's HSC theory exams will end Aug 11. The practical exams will start Aug 12 and end Aug 21.
Since 2010, the SSC and HSC exams have been held in the first week of February and the first week of April respectively. However, this schedule changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the global crisis, students were awarded certificates without taking the HSC exam in 2020. Then in 2021 and 2022, the exam was conducted with an abbreviated syllabus.
AT A GLANCE
· A total of 1,450,790 people are participating in the HSC and equivalent exams under 11 education boards this year
· 750,381 male students and 700,509 female students are taking their exams at 2,725 centres
· In 2023, there were 1,359,342 candidates at 2,658 centres. This means the number of examinees has increased by 91,448, while the number of centres has gone up by 67
· The total number of examinees under the nine general education boards this year is 1,128,281. Of them are 533,680 male students and 594,601 female students
· This year 88,076 examinees are taking their exams under the Madrasa Board and 234,433 examinees are taking the exams under the Technical Education Board
· A total of 281 candidates are taking their exams at eight centres abroad