Government decision to scrap HSC exams amid pandemic greeted with relief

The government has scrapped the HSC and equivalent examinations this year, ending months of anxiety for the students, teachers and parents amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Wednesday announced the decision to replace the yearly tests with a stop-gap system of averaging JSC and SSC exams results of the pupils.

The decision has upset some students who were hoping to do better in the HSC exams, the results of which are crucial for university admission.

These students, however, also breathed a collective sigh of relief as the uncertainty lingering over the tests is now over, and they do not need to put the lives of their own and families in danger by going to exam centres.           

Educationists say the assessment would have been better if the results in the first and second years in the colleges had been counted.

Ziaul Kabir Dulu, the president of the Parents’ Unity Forum, an organisation of parents in Dhaka, thanked the government for the decision.

“We don’t want educational institutions to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. We also want a reprieve from payment of tuition fees,” Ziaul told bdnews24.com.

Shahan Ara Begum, the principal of Motijheel Ideal School and College, also welcomed the move to junk the tests.

“No one knows exactly when the situation will get normal for us to hold exams in these extraordinary times. The government has waited long. The children had been also in a state of despair about the possible date of exams until now,” Shahan told bdnews24.com.

Asked about the evaluation method, she said it will surely affect the results, but all must accept it considering the situation. She noted that prolonged floods have also affected a large number of students. 

Rezauzzaman Bhuiyan, the principal of Agrani School and College, told bdnews24.com that the government has taken the “best” decision. “There is no chance to make a perfect decision in these trying times,” he said.

He agreed the decision will put some at an advantage over others. “That is the reality and everyone has to accept it,” he said.

“The students had been waiting for seven months. They, along with the teachers and parents, were under stress,” Rezauzzaman said.

Umme Salema Begum, a former principal of Udayan High School, disagreed.

“The government could have allowed students to be tested on the basic subjects. We all are going out of our homes. Everything except the educational institutions is open,” she said.

Moreover, the decision will frustrate the students who had prepared well for the exams, she added.

Rasheda K Choudhury, the executive director of Campaign for Popular Education or CAMPE, believes it was necessary for the government to make a decision, no matter what it is, in order to relieve the students of uncertainty.

“Exam results don’t matter much in Bangladesh. We now must ensure that the students get admitted to universities,” she said.

FREED FROM UNCERTAINTY

The relief from uncertainties has made them happy, said Sharmin Bithi, an HSC student in Dhaka.

“Results don’t matter. The most important thing is that we are now free,” said another student, Amirul Islam.

The government had postponed the HSC and equivalent examinations originally scheduled to begin on Apr 1 after the first coronavirus cases were detected in the country.

It had scrapped PEC exams for fifth graders and JSC exams for eighth graders, but took time to decide on the HSC exams for the 12th graders, watching the situation.